Pokémon: Alneo Generation
by ajkent14z
Summary: Join the new heroes of Pokémon World as they travel through the all-new region of Alneo, facing new dangers and meeting new Pokémon. Rated T for violence, deaths and language. OC fic.
1. Disclaimer

**Disclaimer & Preface**

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM POKÉMON OR ANY OTHER FRANCHISE.

However, I DO own some of the Original Characters and Fanmade Pokémon, as well as the entire Alneo Region. Nobody can sue me for that.

This is the first story of my Pokémon: Heaven & Hell series, and the first few chapters can be sloppy and uninteresting because of the required character development. I'm sorry, and promise that there is more action further ahead, so please don't close the story after the first chapter. This is a pretty ambitious project and I request your help with it. Please don't go hard on me...

Credits:

1\. To my friends and crew who helped in making new Pokémon and Vital Info for the necessary tweaking.

2\. Everyone who submitted new OC's for the story, especially the new Gym Leaders.

Note: OC's for minor recurring characters are always welcome...

Caution: The story includes deaths, blood and violence, possible Satanism, fanmade Pokémon, etc. and is a more darker take on the usually jolly Pokémon franchise. If you're offended by such things, don't read the story.

Also, you should read my side story, titled Pokémon Alneo Chronicles (at least the first few chapters) for a greater insight and understanding of this universe. Quite a few things have changed in this universe as it features the Pokémon World fifteen-seventeen years later than the games.

PS: The fanmade Alneo Pokémon dex can be viewed on the gallery of my Facebook page titled Pokémon Alneo Region (though it is just a prototype and subject to a few changes).


	2. Heights of Dangers

**Heights of Dangers**

"You do understand that your constant favors for this kid can go against your reputation as an Elite Four member, isn't it?" Officer Jenny asked with a glare to the blonde man who was sitting on the other side of the bench.

"He's a kid, Officer." the man replied. He was dressed in a regal white attire that matched his personality as one of the strongest trainers in Kalos. But still, there was something about him today that went off. His eyes were full of embarrassment.

"A kid, indeed." Jenny replied. "But Siebold, this is the fourth time this month we've caught him stealing from the local shopkeeper. If it continues, this guy would be in deep trouble, and so will you for supporting a criminal."

"He's not a criminal." Siebold argued, but his words appeared to contradict his own thoughts.

"A kleptomaniac _is_ considered a criminal, sir!" Jenny replied.

"Look, Officer, I'm sorry on his behalf." Siebold replied. "But this boy had nobody to tell him what's right and wrong. He's just misguided."

"Where are his parents?" Jenny asked.

"I have no idea." Siebold replied. "He claims he was brought up by a family of Greninja. I just want him to live normal. You know, what happened to Malva. There are still many like this boy, misguided, turning the wrong way to fulfil their basic needs and later become professional criminals. It's the least I can do for Kalos."

"Alright." Jenny replied with a deep breath. "But this would be the last time I'm compromising. You know I have to answer the higher authorities."

Siebold nodded in agreement. "I'll make sure this would be the last."

"You'd be required to sign here." Jenny said, showing some papers to Siebold. "Here's some advice, as a friend. Don't always help him out of trouble. Teenagers like Leon usually use this as a shield. Sometimes, people need to learn the hard way."

"I'm sure he'll learn one way or other." Siebold spoke, more as a consolation to himself than to Jenny. The Officer gestured her colleague and a few minutes later, the policeman returned with a young teen, probably aged 17. The boy looked fragile and it seemed he was suffering from malnutrition. He wore an ink-blue sleeveless tanktop with brown baggy pants and a long grey scarf over his shoulders. His hair was shaggy and unconditioned, like he just walked out of bed.

"It took ya a l'il late te come?" the boy spoke to Siebold in his distinctive Kelsh accent.

"I have other important works rather than saving your butt, Leon!" Siebold said with disappointment. "Let's leave now. The League would be expecting me." He bowed to Officer Jenny and left, Leon following him.

"This is not done, Leon!" Siebold spoke, as they drove through the streets of Aquacorde City. "I think we already had a discussion about you never stealing again."

"I can't help it." Leon said. "Whenever I'm out, I see stray Pokémon who have to feed on leftovers. I just want to help them."

"By stealing from the shops?" Siebold asked. "Listen Leon, no good reason is enough to do a crime. If it were, we wouldn't have an operational police force and anti-terrorist military organizations. If every other human started thinking like you, world would be a chaos! You're not a child anymore, Leon. You need to grow up."

"I am grown!" Leon snapped.

"Is it?" Leon asked. "You're 17 and have only one Pokémon, and the Froakie hasn't even evolved yet. Trainers of your age have reasonably strong teams and many of them have at least entered one regional championship. You don't even have a single badge!"

"I'm tryin'." Leon said with disinterest.

"No you're not!" Siebold said. "Every time you leave for your journey, you end up stealing and getting caught by the police. Then they take your trainer's license and register you illegible from entering the tournament that year. Think about Froakie, at least. The poor Pokémon is with you since years and had only managed to defeat a few youngsters with no experience. He needs to grow too!"

"A'right!" Leon exclaimed. "I'll leave fo' another journey soon I get my license back 'n won't screw it up this time."

"You won't." Siebold said affirmatively. "Because I got a plan for you."

"You're not sendin' me to de Boardin' school, right?" Leon asked.

"Not that, you're quite old for it." Siebold said with a playful smile, taking a turn that made Leon suspicious.

"Why're we headin' to de airport?" he asked.

"That's my plan for you." Siebold said. "We're taking a plane for Alneo."

—

"Rattata, Hyper Fang!" a youngster ordered his Rattata, who was battling against an Emolga. The Rattata appeared a little troubled as it hesitated before pouncing on the other rodent and dug its sharp incisors into the Emolga's skin.

Emolga winced in pain. "Emolga, Discharge!" the other trainer's voice echoed and Emolga liberated a massive charge of static, sending the Rattata flying a few feet away.

"Alright, Volt Tackle!" the trainer called, and Emolga obliged, colliding head on with the rat Pokémon. The audience clapped in applause and both the trainers returned their Pokémon.

"You are marvelous, Alicia!" the brown-haired youngster said to his opponent. "It'd be great to watch you in the tournament."

"Thank you, Carter!" Alicia replied, tying her golden hair in a ponytail. "But I think I would not be able to enter the Pokélympics this year."

"Why so?" Carter asked.

"The Braviary Flock isn't accepting newcomers." Alicia answered. "And Aunt Elesa says I'm too inexperienced to join her Emolga Strikers."

"You can participate independently." Carter replied. "I've heard that someone is organising an event before the Pokélympics. Didn't know his identity, though, but the newscaster said he's really adamant at putting forward the talents of those who did not get to participate via an established team."

"Really?" Alicia asked. "Is this thing even official?"

"Cent percent!" Carter answered. "I've watched the interview with this man's manager, and he said that they are given a two-week deadline for creating a team by the Alneo League. So, there'd be an event tournament in the Pokélympics Coliseum this Saturday. The team would be handpicked by the jury and will be given a direct entry in the Pokélympics."

"Saturday?" Alicia asked with utter shock. "You mean to say I have only five days to prepare and reach Alneo if I want to participate?"

"Apparently." Carter replied.

"Omigosh!" Alicia exclaimed. "I gotta go! Thanks for the information, Carter!" With this, Alicia rushed off.

If there was anything Alicia Circuit liked the least, it was getting late for an important event. It had been her greatest dream to be a Pokélympic Champion. And why not? Pokélympics was a tournament that was entirely different from the Regional League Tournaments and winning it meant worldwide glory. It was a once-in-four-years chance and Alicia didn't want to lose it.

She had done her best to please her aunt, the Gym Leader Elesa Circuit, but the strict CEO of the Emolga Strikers Team made it clear that she won't be favoring her niece and instead asked her to prepare for the next event. But now Alicia had a chance. And she wasn't going to lose it.

—

"Ye wan' me te enter the Pokélympics?" Leon asked Siebold in disbelief, soon as they entered the registration center.

"No." Siebold replied. "I want you to win the event."

"Can't ya just throw me off the Prism Tower?" Leon asked. "C'mon Siebold, I'm not ready te do something this big!"

"Call it personality development." Siebold spoke with a wicked smile. "Or tell me you're a coward chicken and we'll head back to Kalos, where you can continue stealing and ending up in jail."

"I'm not a coward!" Leon huffed.

"Then play the cards you're dealt." Siebold said. "Prove me that you can do better than being an outlaw. Can you do that?"

"Honestly speaking, I can't!" Leon replied blatantly. "But... what's wrong in tryin'?"

Siebold smiled. "Enough for me. I'll be cheering for you."

"Won't ya stay here with me?" Leon asked.

"Physically, I can't." Siebold answered. "The League has a lot of works for me. But you can be sure I'll be watching you. The initiation process for the new team will start this Saturday. Make sure you catch a couple Pokémon and train hard for the event."

Leon nodded in agreement.

"So, here's your trainer license and your own new PokéTab." Siebold spoke, handing Leon a small bag. "I've opened a new bank account for you and left you some allowance. Spend it wisely. And remember, it took me a lot of effort to convince Officer Jenny for the license. Make sure that doesn't go in vain. And Leon, please don't go around stealing. I won't be able to help you in Alneo."

"Thanks." was all Leon could reply. Siebold really cared for him. And now he had a responsibility on his shoulders.

Watching Siebold leave, Leon took out the only Pokéball attached to his belt. "Alright, Froakie! No bad works from today onwards. Let's get ourselves registered."

—

"The contestants have arrived, sir!" a middle-aged man spoke, walking into a dark room. The man had grey hair and pale white skin with a grey moustache. His face was full of politeness and respect for the person he was talking to.

"Very well, Frederick!" the other man spoke. It was hard to make out his face because of the darkness, but he sure had a touch of authority in his voice. "I want a 24-hour supervision on the participants. Any ideas?"

"We can install spy cameras around the premises." Frederick replied.

"Cameras aren't enough, Frederick!" the man explained. "You can't have a camera follow them everywhere. I want an eye on their each second, their every movement."

"How about having the cameras on some Kecleon?" Frederick suggested. "They can hide around and we can have them follow the participants around without alerting them."

"That's a nice idea." the man said. "Do it! And yeah, please bring me a cup of black coffee."

"Sure, sir!" Frederick nodded and left the room.

—

The next day, everyone was set for the initiation process of the new team. Alicia had managed to arrive Alneo by the night and get herself registered at the last moment. But now she had to compete against hundred others and she wasn't sure whether she could make it.

"Welcome, young ladies and gentlemen!" Frederick announced. "You all know that this tournament is to build the strongest team that would participate in the Pokélympics. This week, you'll be subjected to a series of tasks. Your performance in these tasks will be the factor that would decide whether or not you'll be in the team. Before we proceed for the first task, the owner of this team would like to have a word with you."

He switched on a large plasma screen, that displayed a silhouette of a man. The light behind him was too bright to make out his features, but the voice was clearly audible. "Is there anyone who would like to back out now?"

The crowd of trainers shifted uneasily. What kind of question was that? Why would anyone like to back out?

"Nobody?" the man continued. "That's good. But take a second thought, since you all have signed a contract that says you can't turn back once the tasks start. So, this is the only chance you have. So, I repeat my question, does anyone want to return now?"

The crowd remained silent. "Your spirits are sure high!" the man spoke. "Which brings us to the first task. Frederick, blindfolds."

At Frederick's signal, the crew members headed to the contestants with black cloths, blind folding their eyes securely. A few minutes later, the sounds of helicopter blades echoed in the air.

"Walk ahead." Alicia heard someone speak to her, supporting her by the shoulders.

"What are we gonna do?" Alicia asked. After the man's question about turning back and getting blindfolded, Alicia was not much sure that this task would be mere Pokémon battling. It was something much sinister, and the sound of helicopters increased her suspicions.

"You will be told everything." the girl who was supporting her spoke. "Now, get into the helicopter." Alicia obliged and in a few minutes, she was able to feel the winds on her face. It was a really pleasant feeling, until she felt someone tie her hands together at the back.

"What are you doing?" Alicia complained. Similar reactions came from several other trainers who were in the same helicopter.

"The first task, if you have already guessed it, determines whether you can face the heights of your own spirits." the man's voice came again, but this time, it was a bit distorted, like it was coming from an old-fashioned transmitter. "You all are 13,000 feet above the ground, which means you would be having an average 1 minute to get rid of your bonds and call a Pokémon to save you. You can use only one Pokémon, so I hope you either have flying Pokémon or have tried skydiving. If neither, then may Arceus have mercy on you!" With this, the crew pushed the contestants off the aircraft.

"Haven't we gone too far on just the first task, sir?" Frederick asked his boss, who was sitting in front of the large computer that displayed foot ages from every single camera as the contestants free-fell towards the vast Alnean Sea. Every single person was struggling to get free of their bonds. Everyone, except one young guy.

"That boy, Frederick!" the man asked. "Who is he?"

"His name's Leon Belle, from Kalos." Frederick answered. "The Elite, Siebold is his guardian."

"Siebold's ward." the man spoke. "It seems I just found a suitable team leader."

Leon was nothing like the other contestants. Instead of struggling and flailing in the mid-air, he dove down like a falcon, not even trying to untie his hands. He was brought up by a family of Greninja. He might be a human by anatomy, but deep down, his soul was of a Pokémon. He was well-versed in the ways of nature.

Leon simply let the winds pass him by, judging his height above the sea level with each passing seconds. Frederick and his boss watched the boy expectedly. Just a thousand feet above the sea, Leon maneuvered in the mid-air, and tossed his Poke all without even untying his hands. The spectators had expected a Flying-type Pokémon, but they were completely stunned when Froakie materialized out of the light.

The Pokémon looked confused initially, being called in between a free fall, but soon understood the situation and launched a Bubblebeam move at the sea, creating a thick coat of foam for Leon to fall safely. Simply diving into the bubbles, Leon then ordered Froakie to untie his hands and soon he was swimming towards the shore.

"This guy is truly magnificent, isn't it sir?" Frederick asked his boss.

"Can't disagree." the man answered. "I'd be disappointed if he failed in the future tasks. As for now, send this boy some gifts and write a letter to Siebold thanking him for giving us this treasure."

Another trainer who caught the man's attention was a young boy with dark pale skin and blue hair. He managed to untie his hands in the air and called out a Snorunt, commanding the Pokémon to use Ice Beam. The Ice-type attack freezed the sea water, making a slide of ice all the way to the shore, but his speed was too much and he ended up getting thrown into the sand and colliding with a nearby palm tree.

"Clever and innovative." the man commented. "But lacks the presence of mind. Anyways, he would make it with some improvements. What's his name?"

"Rendel Glaze, sir!" Frederick replied. "He's from Hoenn."

"Keep a closer look on these two guys." the man spoke.

The rest of the contestants were not as good. A few of them, including Alicia, managed to free themselves and call out a Pokémon. Alicia called out her Magneton, whose ability to levitate in the air saved her in the brink of time. Some others called out their Flying-types, flying to the safety.

The rest, however, were completely horrified and chose the wrong Pokémon in their haste, which proved to be completely helpless. The majority of contestants were not able to even get rid of the bonds, many started praying for their dear lives. Fortunately, a flock of Pidgeot swooped down at these trainers, catching them at the last moment.

"I guess it's time you face the trainers, Frederick!" the man spoke. "Give their room keys to the qualified trainers and ask them to rest. They'll be facing more dangers this week."

—

 **Author's Notes: So, here's the first chapter of the story. Not much, but rest assure this is going to be a long and bumpy ride. R &R please.**


	3. The Labyrinth of Chaos

**The Labyrinth of Chaos**

Leon felt like melting down in the bed. With what they had to face today, a 13,000 metre free fall, he was completely exhausted and the comfy bed made his eyes heavy. Lying down, he recalled the scene after the task.

"Leon Belle!" Frederick had called his name soon as all the participants were gathered in the Coliseum. "The way you conquered this task was truly magnificent and hence, the boss has asked me to gift you with this."

Frederick handed him a Pokéball, but instead of the regular red and white, this one was completely white, with a red strip round its center.

"A Premier Ball?" Leon asked.

"It's not the cover that matters." Frederick commented, and Leon realized the ball was in fact heavier than the normal ones. He clicked the button on the ball and it popped open, releasing a silver flash of light. The light materialized into a sword-like Pokémon.

"For the valor and strategy you've shown today," Frederick spoke, "we gift you Excalibur, the Honedge! The boss expects a lot from you, young guy! He never gives away even a Magikarp to anyone."

"Thanks!" Leon replied, calling back the Honedge.

"Now," Frederick turned to the other competitors, "I'm sorry to say that only those who at least managed to call a Pokémon are qualified to stay, and the rest will unfortunately return home."

The crowd erupted into madness. The disqualified trainers started swearing and yelling, some even called out their Pokémon to attack. Frederick simply gestured and a combined Thunderwave from his Plusle and Minun rendered them immobilized.

Completely ignoring the outburst, Frederick continued. "If you haven't yet understood, this task was to test your present-mindedness, a quality that is mostly needed in the Pokélympics. In the main event, there'll be thousands of such situations where you'd face trouble. If you're not quick enough, may Arceus have mercy on you. The qualified trainers are requested to take the keys to their rooms and get some rest."

Leon took out the Premier Ball and took a close look at it. "Excalibur, eh? That's a good name. Let's take a close look at ya."

Leon clicked the ball and the Honedge materialized out of the light. "Hone—" it chimed.

"Hello, friend!" Leon spoke, raising his hand towards Excalibur. "My name's Leon."

"Edge!" Excalibur said confusedly and levitated away.

"Okay, this'd take some time." Leon spoke, calling Froakie out. Froakie let out a yawn and watched Leon questioningly with heavy eyes. "Sorry, Froak! I was thinkin' that since we got a new teammate now, ye should greet it as well."

Froakie rolled his eyes and gave an expression that said, "Seriously?"

"Hey, don't be so rude!" Leon said. "Say hi to Excalibur."

Froakie shrugged and turned to the Honedge, who had found a coat hanger in the room and was now calmly hanging on it. The frog Pokémon hopped towards Excalibur and after a short exchange, returned to Leon, translating its words in his own language.

"I should've known." Leon said sadly. "Excalibur won't respect me as a trainer. But I won't give up on it, Froak! We'll train harder and harder, and— Aw come on! You can't sleep in the middle of an important discussion!"

Realizing that Froakie was not in a mood for a late night discussion, Leon decided to call it a day and sleep. The next day would be much exhausting.

—

The next morning, everyone was called down to have breakfast. By the time Leon entered the hall, the others were already present.

"Not much punctual about breakfast, are you?" Frederick asked with a teasing smile.

"Stayed awake fo' long last night." Leon replied. "I'm sorry."

"Mention not." Frederick politely spoke. "You still have time to finish breakfast. Call out your Pokémon as well, I've prepared nice morning cereal for them."

Leon nodded and called out his Pokémon, requesting them to have their breakfast, then took a seat on the diner.

"Leon Belle, isn't it?" the boy on his left asked. Leon turned to take a look at the speaker. He was roughly around 16-17, dressed in a light grey hoodie and blue jeans. His blue hair was done in spikes with so much hair gel that they glistened like ice crystals.

"You're that boy with the Snorunt, isn't it?" Leon asked. "How do you know me?"

"The name's Rendel Glaze." the boy introduced himself. "And dude, you're the new sensation all around the world! How can you expect anyone to not know you?" Watching Leon raise his eyebrow questioningly, Rendel took out his PokéTab. "Don't you use the PokéTube? Your last task's video has received a thousand likes in just one night!"

"Really?" Leon asked.

"See it yourself." Rendel spoke, showing him his PokéTab. "The way you performed, man, it was just spectacular! You are getting a huge fan following all over the internet."

"I can see that." Leon replied with a smile. "The way ye performed was also great."

"Nah!" Rendel waved his hand. "You're just being generous. I messed up."

"Well, makin' a slide of ice was really a good move." Leon consoled. "Only if ye had planned something 'bout yer speed, but never mind, ye're seated here, which means ye've a chance ahead."

"Let's see how long I'd stand." Rendel said. "One does not simply walk into Mirage Island!"

"At least ye can be sure ye got a friend!" Leon spoke, wiping his lips with the napkin and standing up. "See you at the Coliseum, then."

—

"Good morning, future Pokélympians!" Frederick greeted once everyone was gathered in the Coliseum. "I'm considering that you all have no doubts about proceeding ahead, but if anybody wanna ask something, feel free."

When nobody said anything, Frederick turned to the plasma screen that showed an overview map of a giant maze. "This task is nicknamed Labyrinth Race for obvious reasons. As you can guess, this is a race from one side of the maze to other. There's an entrance gate for each contestant, but only one exit. Only the first sixteen contestants to exit the maze would excel to the next task and the rest would sadly go home. The maze is full of traps and wild Pokémon—"

"And the layout changes continuously." Alicia spoke, watching the map.

"That's a brilliant observation indeed." Frederick praised. "The walls of the maze changes randomly, so you have to be quick, or your way out will become a dead end. There's no time limit, however, soon as we get our first sixteen contestants, this task would end. You are free to use any number of Pokémon and can catch one of the wild Pokémon in the maze. Only one though, greed will straightly disqualify you. Digging your way out is prohibited. There are cameras installed everywhere, hence you can be sure you're safe from anything fatal, but there might be things that may injure you seriously. So, be careful, be quick, and be victorious!"

With this, Frederick gestured the participants to walk out of the Coliseum into the open ground. "Each entrance has a contestant's name inscribed on it. So, you are requested to stand in front of your respective gates."

After a brief shifting, Frederick made one final announcement. "The skills and techniques you use will be added to your overall points for the post of the Pokélympics team leader. So, while you're working through the labyrinth, make sure to do it with style. I'll meet the victors on the other side. On your marks! And go!"

The contestants sprinted towards the doors and were lost out of sight as the huge metal gates closed behind them. "I see they've started." a voice came from Frederick's transmitter.

"They're so full of energy, master!" Frederick replied. "Were you wishing to speak something to the contestants?"

"Actually, I wanted to inform them about a last-minute change." the 'master' answered. "But now that they've started, I think we must let them find out."

—

Alicia had thought the maze would easy. She was a Unovan, and she had spent a lot of her time training in the Chargestone Cave, but this place was a strange mixture of nature and technology. After a few steps walking into the paved floor and tiled walls, the maze saw a transition to rugged and rocky cavern. Alicia had already called out her Emolga, but she decided to call out Magneton as well, for increased security. A few metres were just like a morning stroll, undisturbed and calm. And then, Alicia heard something move around the corner.

"Alright, Emolga!" she whispered. "I think we finally have some company. On my signal, use Thunderwave!"

She leaned by the wall, listening the movements get closer. After a while, she gestured to Emolga, who jumped out and let out a burst of Electric charge. The next second, however, the flying rodent was thrown back into the opposite wall. Before Alicia could understand, a Rhyhorn slammed its rocky head on Emolga.

"Emolga!" Alicia shrieked, that unfortunately caught the Rhyhorn's attention. "Oh, crap!" She recalled Emolga and ran straight in the opposite direction, the rock beast in hot pursuit. While running, she tumbled on a stray rock and fell down. As Alicia winced in pain, Rhyhorn let out a loud growl and charged at the Unovan.

"Psyduck, Water Pulse!" a voice echoed and the yellow duck jumped between Rhyhorn and Alicia, letting out a strong pulse of water. The super effective move started the Rhyhorn, who retaliated by slamming its head on the cavern wall, making the rocks fall on Psyduck, but the duck agilely moved out of the way.

"You okay?" Rendel asked Alicia, giving her a hand.

"I hope so." Alicia replied, grabbing Rendel's hand and standing up. "Ouch! I-I think I sprained my ankle."

Psyduck's quack caught their attention. The Rhyhorn had managed to launch a Horn Attack on the duck Pokémon and the Psyduck look injured.

"I have an idea." Rendel said. "Can your Magneton do a strong Electric-type move?"

"Why Electric?" Alicia questioned. "Rhyhorn is Ground-type and—"

"Leave it on me." Rendel stopped her in the middle. "Just be ready. Psyduck, Soak!" Psyduck let out a spray of water that completely soaked Rhyhorn. Rendel turned to Alicia, "Now!"

"Magneton, Thunderbolt!"

The magnet Pokémon launched a gigantic bolt of lightning that whizzed past Rendel and Psyduck, hitting Rhyhorn straight on the face. The Spikes Pokémon let out a loud cry and fell unconscious.

"You wanna catch it?" Rendel asked. "I'm not much into Rocks, so I'll better find me something else."

"If you insist." Alicia spoke and took out a pink-colored Pokéball from her belt, tossing it at Rhyhorn. The ball popped open on contact and engulfed Rhyhorn by converting the beast into pure energy. After a little twitch, the ball made a "ping" sound, indicating Rhyhorn's capture.

"Isn't that a Heal Ball?" Rendel asked.

"Yeah, I thought it would be better if Rhyhorn could be used immediately for the navigation of the maze." Alicia spoke. "Since I don't think I might be able to walk."

She called Rhyhorn out and tried to climb its back, but the sprained ankle made her wince in pain.

"Ahem!" Rendel coughed. "May I?"

Alicia had never accepted help in her life. Her Aunt Elesa had taught her to be independent and self-sufficient. Now, being helped by a complete stranger, she felt a little embarrassed, but considering she had no other choice. Rendel recalled his Psyduck and helped Alicia climb on the Rhyhorn's back. After that, he turned to leave, but Alicia called him.

"Well, since you wasted your time helping me out, I was thinking I might give you a lift." she said. "Rhyhorn might be knowing the way out, so we can both use that for our advantage."

"Won't that be illegitimate?" Rendel asked.

"I don't remember a rule prohibiting us from teaming up." Alicia replied. "All we need to care about is outspeeding others, who might be halfway down the maze by now."

"Leon would've finished already." Rendel said.

"Leon?" Alicia asked. "That Kelsh boy? You know him?"

"Not much." Rendel answered. "But he's pretty good. I'm sure he might be way ahead of us."

Rendel didn't know how desperately wrong he was. While Leon had made a perfect start, knocking out almost a dozen Zubat during his first ten metres, it soon started to wear Froakie down. He tried with Excalibur, but the Honedge preferred chilling out in a corner instead of following Leon's command. To add to his worries, almost every way he went became a dead-end after a couple turns.

"Well, Leon, this is how yer bright Pokélympics carrier ends." he muttered. They could've thrown him into the ocean with his hands tied and he would've made it out. But no! They had to do this task in a maze full of Zubat, especially when Excalibur wasn't in a cooperative mood.

He took another turn and found a crossroad. "A'right, Froak, which way now?"

"Froakie Fro!" Froakie replied.

"Yeah, right!" Leon said. "How'd ye know? What about this way?" He pointed to the left. Froakie shook his head, saying his name a few times.

"How can ye say that'd be the wrong way?" Leon asked. Froakie just shrugged and sniffed the air, pointing towards the right.

"Ye sure?" Leon asked. On getting a confident nod from his Pokémon, Leon started walking towards the direction. A few yards later, Leon heard something. "Ye heard that?"

Froakie replied with a nod, pointing towards a turn. As Leon walked closer, the sound got clearer. "Somebody's cryin'." Leon spoke, speeding up his motion.

As he turned round the next corner, he saw a wounded little red and golden bird lying on the floor. At first, Leon thought it to be one of those Alneo-exclusive species, but on closer inspection, he found that it was in fact a Fletchling, but instead of the greyish-white plumage of a normal Fletchling, this one had golden feathers.

Watching Leon, the Fletchling started to crawl away. "Hey there, l'il guy. Don't be afraid." Leon spoke, raising his hands in defense. "I won't hurt ya."

The Fletchling continued to crawl away, wincing painfully as it tried to do so. Leon walked up to the bird and cradled it in his hands. It was a bit small for a normal Fletchling, measuring just about Leon's palm. The bird resisted and tried to hop out of Leon's reach, but Leon had cupped it securely. Even its constant pecking had no effect on Leon.

"Easy there, boy!" Leon said. "I'm trying to help you. I promise I'd let you go, okay?" He signalled Froakie, who understood his master's command and dived into his bag. After rummaging for a few seconds, Froakie came out with a spherical blue fruit in his hands.

"This Oran Berry would heal you so you can fly again." Leon assured and Froakie offered the berry to the Fletchling. The bird examined the berry for a while, then started eating. "Ye liked it, right?" The Fletchling chirped in delight. Leon put it back on the ground. "Now ye can fly again. See ya!"

But just as he turned to go, a net appeared out of nowhere and trapped Leon. Another net fell over Froakie and Fletchling. A loud laughter echoed as a pair of teens walked towards Leon. The boy had silky crimson hair that was neatly conditioned, while the girl had long blue hair. Both were dressed in white jackets over black tanktops and black jeans. A stylized 'R' was printed on the back and front of the jackets.

"Who are you?" Leon asked, struggling to get out of the net.

"He asked it, Joseph!" the girl said.

"I heard, Jade!" Joseph replied. "Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!" Jade added.

"We're the most heinous rogues of all time."

"Creators of grand design."

"We denounce the evil of truth and love."

"Then extend our reach to the stars above."

"Joseph!"

"Jade!"

"Team Rocket, always work against the right!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" a Meowth spoke, jumping in front of Joseph and Jade.

"Did the Meowth– talk?" Leon asked dumbly.

"Or what?" Meowth said. "You expected a ventriloquism show around here, twerp?"

"That's great!" Leon exclaimed. "Hey, can I trade my Honedge for yer talkin' Meowth?"

"Sorry, kid!" Meowth said. "But I'm unobtainable. Go teach your Pokémon to talk. Wait, you can't! Because we're taking them away!" Joseph and Jade lifted the net containing Froakie and Fletchling and put them into a sack.

"Hey, that's thievery!" Leon shouted.

"What else you expected from Team Rocket?" Joseph said, walking away.

"I won't let you!" Leon spoke. "Excalibur!" However, the Honedge again disobeyed and just floated around.

"Can you be any more foolish?" Meowth asked. "First you came to the rare different-colored Fletchling and fell into our trap. Then you called out another Pokémon after already losing one. Guess what, my idea of stealing from trainers in this maze was awesome! Get that Honedge as well!"

Jade threw another net at Excalibur, but the sword Pokémon merely tore it off. "Oh, you got a fighter in you?" Jade spoke. "Pawniard, Feint Attack!"

The red-black soldier-like Pokémon emerged out of its Pokéball and slashed Excalibur. The sword Pokémon staggered and countered with a Slash attack. The Pawniard dodged and used another Feint Attack, the supereffective move badly injuring Excalibur.

"Don't hurt Excalibur!" Leon shouted, struggling hard to get free of his net.

"He asked for it, kiddo!" Joseph replied, tossing out a Pokéball. "Drilbur, Metal Claw!" The Metal Claw hit its mark and slammed Excalibur on the rocks. The Honedge tried to attack again, but failed and fell unconscious.

"Today's our lucky day, Jade!" Joseph said, picking Excalibur and putting it inside another sack. "Drilbur, Dig our way out."

"No!" Leon screamed. Just then, a loud cry came from the sack in which Froakie and Fletchling were placed.

"What the—" Team Rocket spoke in unison, but before they could understand anything, the sack started getting heavy. A second later, the sack was ripped into pieces as a blast of water sent everyone off their feet.

Fletchling flew towards Leon, pecking at the net in an attempt to tear it off, but Leon's attention was on something else. Between him and Team Rocket, stood a Pokémon that was a bit taller and slimmer than Froakie, with a darker colored skin.

"Froakie?" Leon asked confusedly.

"Frogadier!" the newly evolved Pokémon corrected.

"Double bonus!" Meowth exclaimed. "Capture them all!"

"Drilbur, Metal Claw!"

"Pawniard, Feint Attack!"

"Frogadier, Quick Attack!" Leon ordered. Frogadier took speed and evaded Drilbur's Metal Claw, colliding head-on with Pawniard's Feint Attack.

"You can't take us on with such childish moves, twerp!" Jade spoke. "Pawniard, Feint Attack!"

The attack hit its mark, but Frogadier seemed unaffected. He turned to look at his trainer, who was out of the net thanks to Fletchling. Leon nodded at the frog Pokémon who returned the gesture and shot forward covered in a veil of water.

"Dodge it, Pawniard!" Jade commanded. Pawniard leapt up, but a neatly timed Quick Attack from Fletchling sent him smashing into the rocks. Meanwhile, Frogadier's Aqua Jet collided straight with Drilbur, who unfortunately wasn't ready for the assault. The Drilbur was sent flying and collided with Joseph, throwing him off his feet and freeing Excalibur from the sack.

"Pawniard, don't let the sword escape!" Jade commanded. Pawniard turned, but was obstructed by Fletchling. "Ugh, Joseph, handle the prisoner."

"A bit busy here!" Joseph replied, commanding his Drilbur to dodge Frogadier's attacks.

"I'll see the sword!" Meowth spoke. "You two finish this twerp." Meowth pounced over Excalibur, but the sword floated out of the cat Pokémon's reach.

"Come here, you idiotic little sword!" Meowth spoke, jumping around to catch Excalibur. "Stay in one place!"

"Pawniard, use Feint Attack on the Honedge!" Jade commanded.

"Not this time!" Leon shouted, jumping between Honedge and Pawniard, taking the assault on himself. The assault was enough to send him colliding on the rocks, hitting his head and passing out.

"Hone?" Excalibur chimed, poking its trainer with its arm-like sash.

"Finally, you all are coming with us!" Joseph said with a grin.

"Edge! Honedge!" Excalibur spoke.

Meowth let out a laugh. "This sword is saying that we should run away if we hold our life dear!"

"Ooooh! We're scared!" Jade spoke, making a fake terrified face.

However, Excalibur didn't appear to be joking. Its eye-gem started enveloped in a silver aura as minute silver energy started emerging from the rocks of the cavern. Even the blades on Pawniard's body contributed towards the move.

"Uh-oh!" Meowth spoke.

"What is it, Meowth?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah, why are you looking like someone stole your breakfast?" Jade added.

"It's that move!" Meowth answered with a terrified look, pointing towards Excalibur. Joseph and Jade turned to watch the minute particles of metallic energy collimating into a gigantic orb.

"D-do you mean th-that move?" Joseph asked.

"Th-the move that d-does that thing?" Jade added.

Meowth didn't get the time to reply when Excalibur launched the most disastrous Steel-type move: the Metal Beam. The attack cause a gigantic explosion, blasting the cavern ceiling into mere dust and sending Team Rocket flying into the sky.

"Seems like I'll spend all my nine lives saying the same thing!" Meowth spoke, Joseph and Jade adding after him. "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

—

Leon opened his eyes to the smell of sterilizers and medicines. The first thing he saw was his Pokémon and Fletchling, who affectionately hugged him.

"Happy to see y'all again, friends!" Leon spoke, petting all of the three.

"It was a really unfortunate event that the three troublemakers somehow broke into the maze." Frederick spoke. "Team Rocket had interfered with the cameras. By the time we came to know something was wrong, it was too late. I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

"Doesn't matter, Frederick!" Leon spoke. "I'm a'ready outta this game, ain't it?"

Frederick smiled at the question. "I think you should check our PokéTube channel for yesterday's update. And rest assure, the doctor says you'll be able to continue in a day or two. Now that we have only sixteen contestants left, I guess we can allow a little strategical time-out till you're good to start again."

"That means I qualified?" Leon asked. "But how?"

"I think I should let you rest for now." Frederick replied with a playful smirk and left the room.

"What's so special 'bout yesterday's update?" Leon muttered. "Froak— sorry, Frogadier, can you pass me my PokéTab?"

The Frogadier nodded and pulled out the Trainer's PokéTab out of Leon's bag. Leon logged on and checked the updates on PokéTube. There was a video titled 'Labyrinth Race: Leon Belle'. On playing it, Leon found out what happened after he passed out. While it wasn't shown how Team Rocket was defeated, whose reason Leon concluded to be the lack of camera footage, it displayed how Leon apparently became one of the qualifying participants.

After the first fifteen trainers came out of the maze, eyes were curious to watch who would be the last one to come out. That was when people saw a different-colored Fletchling flying out of the cave, followed by a Frogadier and a Honedge, who were carrying their trainer securely. Watching the Pokémon, the crowd burst into cheers, but soon everyone went silent as they realised the actual problem. And that was all the video had to show.

"Dude!" Rendel exclaimed, walking into the room. "That was the most wonderful thing ever happened in the history of Pokélympics! Man, I mean, I've seen people go against any difficulty if their Pokémon need medical assistance, but it's first time we get to see this the other way round."

"I'm glad to have such Pokémon with me." Leon replied.

"Hey, isn't that one of those rare, shiny Fletchling?" Alicia asked, kneeling beside the bird Pokémon. "You caught it in the maze?"

"I haven't caught it yet." Leon answered. "And you are?"

"Alicia Circuit." Alicia replied. "Well, the Fletchling likes you a lot. Sadly, I only managed to catch an ordinary Rhyhorn."

"Better than the Zubat some of them had caught." Rendel reasoned. "I mean, Zubat are the most abundant species in the world. Which genius catches a Zubat in such a situation!"

"What did ye catch?" Leon asked.

"Found a Duskull in the darker part of the maze." Rendel said. "It seems the others didn't think going that way, but it was a short cut. All credits to Alicia's Rhyhorn."

"That's great!" Leon said. "I can't wait to make a comeback in the tournament. There's a long way to go. Anyways, can someone get me a bowl of berry soup? I'm feeling a bit hungry."

—

While the contestants were taking rest in the dark of the night, there was someone who stayed awake, watching the camera footage.

"You should be taking rest, master!" Frederick said, walking into the hall.

"You know me since I was a kid, Frederick." the 'master' replied. "I do not rest when I'm at work."

"I know you since you were a kid, yes." Frederick said. "And hence, I know you should take rest. You've been awake since three days now."

"Team Rocket's appearance today was something unexpected." the 'master' replied. "They had been dormant since long. I need to find out more. We can't let them interfere in the tournament anymore."

He stood up from his chair. "I'll be out for a while, Frederick! Can you please look after the tournament affairs?"

"Sure, sir!" Frederick replied.

"Keep me informed of anything suspicious, though. I'll be back in a few days." With this, he jumped out of the window. A loud roar was heard and a huge draconic silhouette was seen flying away.

"When will you start using the doors?" Frederick muttered, turning back and shutting the computers down.

—

 **Author's Notes: Phew! Huge chapter! First of all, I'd like to inform that some game mechanics would be altered in the story to make it more realistic. Also, a few learnsets will also be modified for Pokémon native to Alneo (like Alicia's Emolga knows Volt Tackle, which until now, is the signature move of Pikachu family).**

 **Also, as promised, there will be new moves. Introduced in this chapter is one of the eighteen signature beams. Seen via game mechanics, signature beams take three turns in total: one for charging, one for execution, and one for rest. However, a signature beam has a tremendous power of 180, not affected by any stat change (type effectiveness apply though). All signature beams are Special moves, and have 100% accuracy. A Pokémon can only learn the signature beam move of its own type, dual-types can learn any one of the two. A Pokémon cannot learn another signature beam if it has already learned one, even if it is made to forget the move.**

 **From anime point of view, every signature beam collects energy from its respective type (e.g. the Metal Beam collects energy from any and every metallic substance, even in ionic form, in proximity). The move will fail however, if used in absence of required energy (like the Ice-type Glacial Beam will fail in extremely hot weather, since it gains energy from cold weather).**

 **So, that's it. Read & Review. And any OC for minor recurring roles is welcome.**


	4. Mysterious

**Mysterious**

"Good morning!" Alicia greeted as Leon opened his eyes.

"What're ye doin' in ma room?" Leon asked.

"Brought you some soup." Alicia replied. "You were asleep so Frogadier opened the door. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine." Leon answered. "And a bit tired."

"Probably the first person I know who is tired of resting." Alicia spoke.

"Ye see, I'm not much habitual of bed rests." Leon said. "It's been three days now, I'm all set to return to the tournament."

"Well, I hope you're all set for the feast as well." Alicia said.

"Feast?" Leon asked.

"I don't think you hit yourself that hard, Leon!" Alicia said. "Do you remember what's the day today?"

"Um, Thursday, I guess." Leon replied. "I might be wrong, I lose the track of days usually. When I hit ma head, it was Monday, isn't it? Or was it Sunday?"

"Leon, it's December 24th!" Alicia explained. "The Creation Eve. The birth of Arceus!"

"No way!" Leon sat up with a start. "It's Christmas already!"

"Oh, you woke up!" Alicia said with a sarcastic smirk. "Anyways, I wanted to inform there's a feast tonight and there'd be a ball dance as well. So, I hope you know how to dance."

"Okay!" Leon spoke. "Wait, won't I need a partner on the dance?"

"Since there are just eight boys and eight girls here, Frederick had saved us time by pairing us by default." Alicia answered. "Since you're with me, please tell me now if don't know how to dance."

"Well, it isn't like I dunno." Leon replied. "Um, I jus' haven't tried dancing."

"Means you don't know." Alicia said. "Well, get dressed and have your soup. Then we'll see what can be done."

With this, Alicia left the room. There was a lot of things going on. Since Leon was healthy again, Frederick has told that the tasks will start from Christmas itself and their Pokélympics team would be ready by the New Year's Eve. Then there was the Christmas Eve Party tonight. After learning about Team Rocket, Alicia was a bit shocked since a few years ago, Team Rocket was supposedly disbanded when the boss of the organization, Giovanni, was arrested by the combined efforts of the Kantonese government and the International Police. Their appearance in Alneo was a sign that Team Rocket has somehow managed to rise again and it would be a great crisis if they weren't stopped in time.

Her PokéTab's ringtone drew her out of her thoughts. A line of stress crossed her forehead as she watched the ID of the caller. Alicia looked around to make sure nobody was watching and picked up the call. "Agent Circuit here!"

"Any information on Team Rocket, Agent?" a masculine voice asked from the other side.

"Not yet, commissioner!" Alicia replied. "The tournament's on a hiatus due to a major contestant getting injured. Maybe Team Rocket would show up once it starts again."

"We're getting pressure from the authorities, Agent." the Commissioner spoke. "We cannot let Team Rocket rise again."

"Roger that!" Alicia replied. "I'll keep you informed about anything suspicious. Agent Circuit out!"

Keeping the PokéTab back, Alicia looked around to recheck that she was all alone in the corridor. Taking a deep breath, she recalled her earlier days as a trainer. Instead of roaming Unova like other beginners, Alicia was admitted to the Unovan Military School. After five years of restless night studies and tiresome morning exercises, she still failed to graduate as a police officer because of average physical performance. Her dad was so mad at her for this that he literally disowned her and after that, Elesa adopted her, training her to be a Pokélympian.

It wasn't until her registration that her life took an unexpected turn. After she got herself registered in the tournament, she got a call from an unknown ID and the man on the other side asked her to meet him at the Pokélympic Museum.

When she reached the Museum, she saw some policemen outside the gate. Feeling suspicious, she went to the Officer Jenny and asked her why so many policemen were gathered around.

"Alicia Circuit?" Jenny asked. "From Unovan Military School? That's you, right?"

"Yes." Alicia answered. "But how do you know?"

"I was one of your teachers, dear." Jenny replied.

"Officer Jenny!" Alicia exclaimed. "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you."

"Won't blame you." Jenny spoke. "It's the same with almost everyone. But still, I'd need to do a security check, just to be sure."

Alicia nodded and watched Jenny took out her Pokétab. It was the specially designed Tab for Police, capable of keeping criminal records and identifying trainers by accessing worldwide databases.

"Place your thumb here." Jenny spoke, showing her the Tab screen. Alicia obliged, and a green light scanned her fingerprints. "Now, your retinal signature. Keep your eyes open."

Jenny placed the Tab's camera in front of Alicia's eyes one-by-one and after a second, smiled satisfactorily. "The scan is complete. Identity confirmed: Alicia Circuit, from Nimbasa City of Unova Region. Now we can proceed. Someone's expecting you."

Officer Jenny took her inside the museum where a man in a long brown leather coat was talking to the receptionist. "Commissioner," Jenny addressed the man, "here's the girl I was talking about."

The man turned and watched Alicia with his piercing brown eyes. "Alicia Circuit you must be. I must at first introduce myself. My name, well, I must tell my code name only. I'm known as Looker, the Commissioner of International Police. I was looking for someone trustworthy for a huge task. Have you heard about Team Rocket?"

"The Kantonese Mafia whose boss was arrested a few years ago? Yes, I've heard." Alicia answered.

"There was a theft in the museum last night and the CCTV footage shows some Team Rocket Grunts." Looker said. "I am suspecting that these troublemakers would show up again and try to cause problems in the tournament. So, I might ask, can you please work for me as the undercover agent of Police?"

"What!" Alicia exclaimed. "But-but I'm not eligible for the task."

"You can." Jenny encouraged. "You had gone through the trainings and studies of police. And you were a brilliant student."

"I didn't graduate." Alicia replied.

"Doesn't matter." Looker spoke. "If Officer Jenny trusts you, I can confide in you for this task. All you need to do is keep an eye on everything and everyone, and keep me informed about anything suspicious. I hope you'd do that."

"I'm not sure if I'm suitable for the task." Alicia replied. "But if you two insist."

"Very well, Miss Circuit." Looker said. "This day onwards, you are an undercover agent of police."

Alicia snapped out of the flashback when Rendel called her name. The boy looked pretty stressed and had probably ran all the way since he was panting heavily.

"What happened, Rendel?" Alicia asked.

"A huge problem occurred, Alicia!" Rendel replied. "You know Megan?"

"Megan Cho?" Alicia asked. "The Johtoan girl with whom you would be dancing tonight? What's with her?"

"You know I tried to talk to her, but she's so cute and I can't speak out a word." Rendel said. "I would make a fool of myself tonight if it remains like that. Please can you teach me how to talk to a girl?"

"Rendel, you _are_ talking to a girl, aren't you?" Alicia asked.

"That's different." Rendel said. "You're my friend and I've known you for longer. Megan, on the other hand, I haven't even talked to her once during this tournament and now I have a date arranged with her by default. It's pretty instantaneous!"

"Well, a good trainer can fight any instant trouble." Alicia spoke.

"That's for a trainer." Rendel said. "Here, I'm simply a teenager with zero experience about girls and how to impress them. Please, please, please! Help me out!"

"Since it's Christmas, why don't you find her a nice gift?" Alicia suggested. "Everyone likes gifts."

"Okay, but what can I present her with?" Rendel asked. "I don't know anything about Megan."

"Well, she's a trainer, just like you are." Alicia replied. "Ponder upon this a little and you'll understand what to do."

Rendel thought for a while, then spoke, "Whatever you said went over my head, but I'll try."

"Good!" Alicia said. "I gotta go now, I've to make preparations for tonight."

Alicia walked into her room, thinking about Team Rocket. According to Leon, the guys were powerful and had a talking Meowth. Alicia opened the information about Team Rocket Looker had supplied her with.

She read whatever the documents had to offer. How Team Rocket was established as a group of genetic researchers in Cinnabar's Pokémon Mansion. How they conducted experiments on ancient Mew fossil that led to the creation of the most powerful Pokémon demigod, Mewtwo. How after Mewtwo's escape, the leader became paranoid and took the path of crime to find ways to stop the legendary Pokémon. How Giovanni was unmasked as the leader of Team Rocket and was arrested by Looker five years prior. It even had a list of various Team Rocket Admins, but none of them matched the description given by Leon.

"This case is much complicated than it seems." Alicia muttered. "I'd need to investigate more on the theft in the Pokélympic Museum."

A knock on the door made her shreik. "Oh great, the suspense is getting on my nerves!" she muttered, taking a deep breath and opening the door.

A familiar girl greeted her on the other side. The girl had a typical Johtoan face with light olive skin and sparkling black eyes. Her silky black hair was done in a hime cut and she was wearing a long red top and black jeans.

"Megan Cho, isn't it?" Alicia asked.

"I thought you won't be knowing my name." Megan said, in a distinctively Johtoan accent.

"Rendel's talking about you since morning." Alicia said, noticing a blush on Megan's face. "What brings you at my door?"

"It's about Rendel." Megan replied. "You're his friend, right? Can you please help me select a Christmas gift for him?"

"You too!" Alicia exclaimed. "What exactly is going on between you two?"

"Nothing!" Megan quickly said. "We're—"

"—just good friends?" Alicia added.

"Not even that." Megan said. "But I want to. Rendel's a pretty nice guy and, between you and me, I'm a big fan of his. That ice slide he made during the first task! Dear Celebi, that was awesome!"

Alicia stared her in disbelief. "Am I the only one who does not go fangirl over any other contestant? Anyways, about your problem, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you out."

"But you're his friend." Megan said. "Please suggest me something he'll like the most."

"Honestly speaking, I don't know him enough to tell you his likes and dislikes." Alicia replied. "But, lemme guess. Why don't you gift him something he can't find in Hoenn? Some Johto-exclusive item."

Megan jumped in excitement and hugged Alicia tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Geez!" Alicia said. "I didn't know you're so sentimental."

"Uh, sorry!" Megan said, parting away from Alicia. "But thank you for the help."

"Mention not!" Alicia spoke, but Megan was already skipping out of the room. "This girl's pretty energetic!"

Megan happily skipped down the corridor, entering her room and closing the door. Taking a deep breath, she took out her PokéTab and made a call.

"What's the update, Ms Cho?" a sinister female voice asked from the other side.

"I think you've been given wrong information." Megan answered. "Alicia Circuit can not be a spy."

"How do you figure?" the woman asked.

"There wasn't a single thing in her room that could raise suspicion." Megan replied. "Nor did she seem mysterious."

"Then what the hell was she doing with the policemen in the museum?" another deep and masculine voice came from the other side.

"See, I did your job!" Megan spoke. "Now please return my Ralts."

"Your Ralts is alright, girl." the woman replied. "But your work isn't finished yet."

"What do you want me to do now?" Megan asked.

"We have sent you a parcel." the woman replied. "You'd be giving it to that girl Alicia tonight on the Creation Eve as a gift."

"What are you planning to do?" Megan asked.

"That's none of your business!" the woman replied. "Just do as we say or you won't even get to see the pieces of your little Ralts!"

"That's MY Pokémon you have kept captive!" Megan retorted. "IT IS MY FREAKIN' BUSINESS!"

However, the line went dead before Megan could say more. The Johtoan fell on her knees and cupped her face in her hands, sobbing silently. She had to do Team Rocket's bidding for the safety of her Pokémon, but what if they meant harm to Alicia. And if they did, Megan would be blamed for it. A gruesome dilemma, and Megan had no idea how would she even manage to get out of it.

Hours passed by, and Megan just wept. "There's a saying among the Kimono Girls," her mother used to say, "when none of the two ways appear to be right, make a third way. There's always place for one."

"There's always place for one." Megan repeated, wiping her tears and standing up. "There's ALWAYS place for one!"

—

As the darkness fell over, footsteps echoed in the silent corridor of Haygates Prison of Sevii. The policeman walked towards a cell and said to the prisoner, "You have a visitor, Giovanni."

The man, who once used to be the boss of Team Rocket, stood up from his bunk and walked with the policeman towards the visiting room. Inside the room was another man who was dressed in a black jacket over a black turtleneck and dark grey jeans. Due to the presence of only one low power bulb, the face of the man was hidden in shadows, but Giovanni smirked like he knew the man.

"Came to wish me Christmas?" Giovanni asked.

"You never gave me any reason to." the man replied. "What is your plan now, Giovanni?"

"Plan?" Giovanni asked mockingly. "You think I'm in a state to make a plan? Look around you, child! We're here in the Haygates Prison, the world's most secured jail in the Eight Island of Sevii! What plan can I possibly make sitting here?"

"I want to believe you." the man said. "But unfortunately, your pathetic executives recently appeared in Alneo. Team Rocket is still functional and if it is, you sure know about it."

"How am I supposed to know?" Giovanni asked with a fake sad face. "I get no letters, no phone calls, not even a visitor. Ask the policemen if you don't trust me!" He paused for a while, as a grin swept across his face. "But you underestimated Team Rocket. You thought arresting me would end everything, isn't it? Team Rocket is like a Mega Hydreigon, young man! Cut one head, two more will grow in its place. Who knows, while you're here interrogating me, one such head might be burning Alneo region, bit by bit!"

To Giovanni's surprise, the man let out a little smirk. "Very well, Giovanni. But you should know that your Team Rocket is interfering in MY tournament! And if one of those innocent contestants are harmed again, you can be damn well sure that I'll not remain silent."

"I'm scared!" Giovanni replied expressionlessly.

"You better should." the man replied, standing up and turning to go. "For I won't cut the Hydreigon's head. I'll BURN it!"

—

 **Author's Notes: First of all, wish you all a Very Merry Christmas! I know I'm late, but who cares!**

 **So, this and the next chapter was actually written as one, but it exceeded 5000 words so I decided to split it up in two parts. There is a lot of mysteries and action ahead, so stay tuned.**

 **As a side-note, I must mention that with the Alneo region, more Pokémon would be receiving their Mega Evolutions, one of them (as mentioned above) is Hydreigon. Upon Mega Evolution via a Hydreigite, Hydreigon gets a much larger body with four draconic limbs and a long tail. The torso splits into six serpentine necks of equal thickness, ending into six draconic heads. The hair around the heads is longer and thinner as compared to its Pre-mega form, giving the impression of grey smoke. Mega Hydreigon gains a signature ability upon Mega Evolution, namely Head Growth, which increases accuracy proportional to Mega Hydreigon's health loss. Hydreigon also gets a Dragon-type signature move named Barrage Blast, where all of its heads fire continuous blasts of energy at the foe. The attack damage is 1/3 of the target's maximum HP, regardless of type-effectiveness, immunities, Pokémon levels, and anything else.**

 **So, this is it. Please review your opinions about the story.**


	5. Rocket Showdown

**Rocket Showdown**

"Ye ready fo' the dance?" Leon asked as he knocked on Alicia's door.

"Just a minute!" Alicia called from the inside.

"It's been almost an hour, Alicia!" Leon spoke. "While ye've been gettin' ready, I finished ma trainin' wid Fletchling; then fed it and ye should know, Fletchling eats too slowly. Then I watched today's episode of 'My Little Ponyta' 'n then I went te get ready fo' the party! Despite that, I'm all prepared and ye still wan' a minute more! What the heck are ye doin'?"

"Geez, Leon!" Alicia answered. "I said wait a minute!"

Leon let out a deep sigh. His entire afternoon was spent learning how to dance and to his own surprise, it wasn't as difficult as he had thought. All he had to do was follow Alicia's lead and the rest was pretty simple. But considering how much time Alicia was taking, the Kelsh boy doubted if they would even get to enjoy the party.

"Leon!" Rendel's voice came from a distance. "Have you seen Megan anywhere?"

"Who's that?" Leon asked.

"My dance partner, man!" Rendel asked.

"Of all the people ye could've asked, ye chose someone who hasn't been outta his room since the last task." Leon replied. "What happened te yer rationale?"

"Let it be." Rendel replied. "I'll find her myself. Anyways, I got you a gift." Rendel took out a small present that looked as if it was wrapped hurriedly. "Here, open it."

Leon unwrapped the present, revealing a little box inside. He opened the box, taking out the little bell made up of sea shell. "Is it a Shell Bell?"

"Yep!" Rendel said. "In Hoenn, travellers usually venture the depths of Shoal Cave to find the ingredients for making this bell."

"Thanks a lot, dude!" Leon said. "That's a pretty nice gift."

"Nothing in front of the Dowsing Sensor you gave me." Rendel said. "But I'm happy you liked it."

"Wait, what do you—" Leon said, but Rendel was already on his way. "When did I gave him a Dowsing Sensor?"

"I did." Alicia spoke as she walked out of her room. "Since you didn't have time to find gifts, I bought it on your behalf."

"It wasn't—" Leon opened his mouth, but the words refused to leave him as he watched Alicia. The girl was dressed in a beautiful white and black frilled gown, her blonde hair braided in a side bun. Her electric blue eyes sparkled under a dark black mascara and her crimson lipstick— Okay, Leon thought, no time to get carried away!

"Ms Alicia Circuit!" a voice drew their attention towards the room service man who walked towards them. "Ms Megan Cho said this was for you." He handed a large present to Alicia and left.

"Megan got me a present!" Alicia exclaimed. "That's nice of her. Uh, Leon, please wait a second, I'll put it inside."

"Okay." Leon replied. "But make it fast."

Alicia smiled and opened the door of her room, placing the present on the table beside the door and turning back. "Done!"

"Thank Arceus!" Leon sighed.

Suddenly, a huge boom was heard as an explosion blasted the duo off their feet. As the dust sided, Leon stood up, brushing his clothes. His tuxedo was grey with ash and dirt and his ears were still ringing, but his attention was entirely on something else.

"Alicia!" he called in the darkness. The lights had went off due to the explosion and the air smelled of gunpowder. The door of Alicia's room had been torn off along with a part of the wall and the wreckage was lying all around, making it hard for Leon to find Alicia.

Suddenly, a swirl of flames erupted and the wreckage was blasted in the opposite direction, revealing a wounded Alicia alongside a... Growlithe? Leon never knew Alicia had one!

"We gotta find Megan!" she said in an angry and determined voice, that Leon found difficult to argue with. The blonde girl sped off and Leon followed.

"What was all that?" Leon asked as they ran towards the ballroom.

"I'd explain everything later." Alicia spoke.

The ballroom was definitely beautiful, with all the decorations and people dancing around. It would have been a pretty nice environment for a first date. But as it was with Leon's fate, his date was destroyed by an explosion. Alicia, on the other hand, was desperately looking for Megan Cho, but the Johtoan girl was nowhere to be found.

"Rendel!" she finally called, watching the Hoennish blunette sitting in a corner. "Where's Megan?"

Alicia's tone, along with the dirt on her skin and singed clothes, sent shivers down Rendel's spine. He looked at Leon, who was in a similar state. "What happened to you two? It looks as if you were gone for a stroll in Mt Pyre."

"We jus' survived a bomb!" Leon answered.

"Doesn't matter!" Alicia spoke, stopping Leon from saying anything further. "Rendel, where's Megan?"

"I met her a while ago." Rendel answered. "But she soon left, saying she had some important work." After a pause, he added, "Is she in trouble?"

"Either she's in trouble, or is going to be." Alicia said, turning to Leon. "Stay here! Explain Frederick about the bomb and check whether anyone else is injured. I'll go find Megan."

"Wait, Alicia!" Leon and Rendel said in unison. Looking each other for a second, both the boys spoke, "We'll go with you!"

"If Megan is in trouble, I want to be there with her." Rendel said.

"And I wanna be wid ya," Leon added, "jus' te make sure ye're okay."

"No way!" Alicia said. "You two are staying here!"

"Do you think we would?" Rendel asked.

Alicia sighed. "Alright! Gardie, Odor Sleuth!" The Growlithe sniffed the air and then darted out of the ballroom. "There we go." Alicia spoke, before running after Gardie, the boys following.

Gardie led them away from the settlement into the woods. It was a full moon, but the thick canopy of trees blocked the light, making it almost impossible to watch.

"Emolga, use Flash!" Alicia commanded, tossing out her Pokéball. The flying rodent Pokémon glowed with a dim light, illuminating the darkness.

"Ye never told ye had a Growlithe?" Leon asked Alicia.

"I never told you a lot of things, Leon." Alicia spoke. "Don't judge me wrong, but it's not the right time."

"Hey, you listened that?" Rendel asked. "Alicia, stop the Flash."

Alicia nodded and commanded Emolga to stop using Flash. Rendel was right! There was sure noises coming from a distance, the noise of battle.

"Stay careful." Alicia spoke, walking towards the source of sound. A few feet ahead, in a clearing in the woods, the trio found a Drilbur and a Pawniard, fighting against a Smoochum.

"That's Team Rocket!" Leon exclaimed. "Those guys who attacked me in the maze."

Team Rocket's Pokémon appeared to have an upper hand on the Smoochum, the baby Pokémon unable to battle two Pokémon with supereffective moves. At a distance, Megan was seen, trying hard to match the combined power of Team Rocket.

"We should help her!" Rendel said, walking ahead.

"Wait!" Alicia held his hand.

"Smoochum, Powder Snow!" Megan commanded. The Smoochum sprayed little snowflakes around, but Joseph ordered his Drilbur to dig underground. Pawniard simply dodged the attack, landing a Feint Attack on Smoochum. Smoochum was thrown off guard and before she could land on the ground, Drilbur erupted out and attacked with Metal Claw.

"Enough!" Rendel spoke, releasing his hand from Alicia's grip and tossing out a Pokéball. "Psyduck, Water Pulse!" The yellow duck materialized out of the light and blasted a pulse of aqueous energy, sending Drilbur colliding with a tree.

"I guess we're te join the party." Leon spoke. "Fletchling, Ember!" The shiny bird materialized out and fired hot embers at Pawniard, not giving the Steel/Dark type a chance to react.

"Your Fletchling knows Ember?" Alicia asked.

"A lotta things I hadn't told ya!" Leon winked, turning to Rendel. "Go to Megan! We'll take care of the creeps!"

Rendel nodded and ran towards Megan while Gardie and Fletchling confronted Team Rocket. "Ye're significantly outnumbered!" Leon spoke. "In yer own words, surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Nobody uses Team Rocket's patent line and walk away unpunished!" Meowth shouted. "Joseph! Jade! Show them what we got!"

"Drilbur, dig underground and attack Growlithe!" Joseph ordered.

"Pawniard, Feint Attack on Fletchling!" Jade commanded.

Leon and Alicia looked at each other and nodded. "Switch!" both the trainers said in unison. Gardie and Fletchling switched their places, the Feint Attack landing a direct hit on Gardie, while Drilbur's attack failing to hit the airborne Fletchling.

"Flamethrower!" Alicia ordered, and Gardie let out a huge jet of flames at Pawniard, throwing the Pokémon into a tree, knocking it out.

"Fletchling, Fiery Wings special!" Fletchling fired embers at Drilbur, before swooping down with a Wing Attack. The Drilbur didn't get a chance to dodge, being busy with the embers, as the attack landed a straight hit. Before Drilbur could react, Fletchling flapped its wings and fired a huge array of razor sharp Feather Darts, knocking Drilbur out.

"Uh-oh!" Team Rocket spoke in unison.

"I guess we have only one option left, Jade!" Joseph said, recalling Drilbur.

"I think, yes, Joseph!" Jade agreed, recalling Pawniard.

In a blink of eye, they turned and darted off into the woods.

"Wait, you—" Leon spoke, but Alicia raised her hand.

"Let them go." she said, looking at Megan. "We have a greater issue to attend." She walked towards Megan, who looked pretty disturbed from the fight. "Why the hell did you planted a bomb in my room?"

"What!" Rendel exclaimed. "What are you saying—"

"Shut up, Rendel!" Alicia snapped. "It's a serious talk! Megan, would you speak now or after you're put in a trial for terrorism?"

"I had no other choice!" Megan cried. "Team Rocket has m-my Ralts. Th-they said they'll kill her if I didn't cooperate. What could I have done?"

"They know!" Alicia said with a stern expression.

"I did everything they said!" Megan spoke through weeps. "But they're still keeping Ralts captive. I-I couldn't fight them even. They're so much in numbers."

"They've their team!" Leon spoke sternly. "We've our own! Assemble up, we're raiding their hideout!"

"Are you mad?" Alicia spoke surprisedly. "One does not simply walk into Rocket's Hideout!"

"They've assaulted one, they've assaulted all!" Rendel said. "What happened to Megan could happen with anyone else."

"Whose side are ye on, anyway?" Leon asked.

"Okay, fearless leader! Do you even have a plan?" Alicia asked annoyedly.

"Nope!" Leon replied. "But that has never stopped me from doin' anything before!"

"Okay!" Alicia said with a sigh and took out her PokéTab, dialling a number. "Agent Circuit speaking! We're going into the Rocket Hideout. Would need backup. Out!"

"Agent?" Leon asked. Alicia just gave him a playful smirk and asked Gardie to use Odor Sleuth.

—

"That was really shocking!" Joseph said, walking through a corridor. "We, the Team Rocket, defeated by some beginner teens! It's embarrassing!"

"And humiliating, too!" Jade added. "I don't think the admins would be happy with this."

"I don't care about the Admins!" Meowth said proudly. "Meowth only works for the boss!"

"I envy you, Meowth!" Joseph said. "Only if mom and dad had been better at crime, we could've been on a higher rank and wouldn't have to follow these idiotic Admins."

"Jesse and James were jerks, but they were good." Meowth assured. "These selfish Admins were only jealous that they were the best. They are so path—" Meowth's words stuck in his throat as he watched a redhead woman in white dress walking towards them.

"I see you guys were praising us Admins!" the woman said.

"N-no, I mean, yes, Lady Ariana!" Meowth said. "I was telling these kids how great our Admins are, the way you all recollected Team Rocket after boss was arrested."

"Weren't you told not to talk about it?" a sinister male voice came as a tall man with blue hair and a similar white dressing walked towards them.

"Leave it, Archer!" Ariana said. "They're not worth your attention. Anyways, what happened to the task you were assigned with?"

"Th-that—" Meowth stammered.

"Don't tell me you failed, again!" Ariana glared.

"We've almost succeeded." Joseph said.

"Yeah," Jade added, "but those twerps came over and—"

"Tell me you at least rendered them immobilized before coming here." Ariana said, and the trio shifted uneasily. "You left them so they can follow you here? What the heck were you thinking!"

"Maybe they thought we wouldn't be able to find your secret hideout?" Rendel's voice came as the teens walked into the corridor.

"Well, I doubt what Rendel said." Leon added. "If ye're te build a hideout, please dun' put a giant red 'R' outside! Ye guys couldn't have been more obvious if ye placed directin' arrows all over the woods."

"I told you that idea was absurd!" Archer muttered to Ariana, turning to the teens and taking out a Pokéball. "Anyways, now that you're here, I'm sorry we have to calm you down forever! Houndoom, Fire Blast!"

The raging fire would've turned everyone to ashes if Leon and Rendel hadn't called out Frogadier and Psyduck, who used their Water-type moves to counter the attack. The Fire Blast still managed to hit the two Pokémon, severely injuring them despite the type disadvantage.

"Lacking the required experience, don't you?" Archer spoke, turning his attention to Megan. "You should've stayed loyal, kiddo! This might go wrong for your Ralts."

"No way!" Alicia said. "Gardie, Flamethrower!" As Gardie executed the move, Alicia turned to Rendel and Megan. "Search for Ralts! Leon and I would stop them." The two nodded and ran deeper into the corridor.

"Joesph! Jade! Meowth!" Archer commanded. "Stop them!" The trio ran after Rendel and Megan in pursuit.

"Two-on-two!" Ariana said. "Now that's a fair fight, ain't it? Arbok, Poison Fang!" The purple cobra materialized out of its Pokeball and lunged at Gardie. The assault made the Growlithe wince in pain as poison started flowing through his veins.

"Frogadier, Water Gun!" Leon commanded. Frogadier obliged and fired a jet of water at Houndoom, but the Hound Pokémon just dodged the attack and countered with a massive Flamethrower. The attack landed a direct hit, and Froakie's body was charred by the flames.

"It's about time, kids!" Ariana said. "Your Pokémon are injured and at this rate, I don't think they'd be able to fight."

As much as Leon wanted to deny it, Ariana was right. The burns on Frogadier's body had rendered it more vulnerable to opponents' attacks, the injuries slowly draining it out of energy. Gardie was having a similar problem as Arbok's poison surged more and more into the Growlithe's body.

"Time to end this!" Archer said. "Houndoom, use Dark Pulse!"

"Arbok, aid with your own Dark Pulse!" Ariana commanded.

However, before the two Pokémon could attack, a swirl of flames erupted out of nowhere, trapping Team Rocket in a fiery vortex.

"What the—" the Rocket Admins cursed in unison. As if to answer them, the glasses in the corridor shattered and Leon and Alicia noticed a blur of grey color as both the Rocket's Pokémon were thrown off their feet. Houndoom had the worse fate. It collided with a power box, and after a bright show of electric explosion, the whole corridor went dark.

That's when the attacker showed itself. It was dark, but the flame on its tail burnt bright enough to illuminate the area within several feet. The Charizard let out a mighty roar before fixing its blue eyes on Team Rocket.

Leon wasn't able to watch the faces of the Rocket Admins, since the draconic beast stood in the way, but he was sure they were scared. Even Leon himself felt shivers down his spine, although the Charizard apparently was on their side. The reptilian beast was definitely gigantic! Standing tall, it nearly matched the height of the ceiling, which according to Leon's estimation, would've been around ten feet. The Charizard was more athletic than normal and had a more wild and draconic appearance than most trained ones. But what truly made it different was it's color: instead of the orange and tan, this Charizard had ash grey and red scales; that gave it a more terrifying image in the light of its tail flame.

"A-Arbok!" Ariana managed to speak. "Poison Fang!"

"Houndoom, Crunch!" Archer added.

Arbok lunged at Charizard, who simply stepped out of the way and grabbed the serpent's tail. Using the Poison-type like a bat, Charizard swatted the Houndoom away before it could land its attack. Both the Pokémon collided on the corridor wall and were knocked out.

"You—" Archer opened his mouth, but stopped when Charizard gave him a death glare.

It opened its mouth to blast a destructive jet of flame at the Admins, but was stopped when a voice called, "Enough, Blaze! Don't waste your energy on them."

The Charizard obliged and stepped aside, making way for a man to come forward. It seemed nobody had noticed this man was in the corridor, since all the faces had a similar surprised expression. As Charizard's flame had lost its previous intensity now, it was hard to make out this man's face. All Leon could see was that he had worn a black jacket and grey jeans. His dull black hair was done in spikes above his ears on either side of his head and his voice had a clear sense of authority.

"It's him!" Ariana said. "I should've known."

"I thought you might remember Blaze." the man smirked. "He was the one who burnt your fortress in Kanto."

"You!" Archer growled. "You caused the fall of Team Rocket! It was you because of whom our boss is in the jail! You freaking pest!"

Charizard shifted, but the man raised his hand, gesturing the fire reptile to stop. "Blaze doesn't take it lightly if someone insults me, so you might want to choose your words carefully."

Without turning, he threw a bag at Leon's feet. "Use these medicines on your Pokémon before their injuries get worse. And then, turn back and leave!"

"We're not going anywhere!" Alicia spoke. "Not without our friends."

"Dusk would've escorted them out already." the man said. "Now, leave!"

Leon held Alicia's hand and started running towards the exit. Alicia tried to resist, but Leon's grip was firm. All his life, he had learned only one thing: trust his instincts. And his instincts told something was going to be severely wrong for Team Rocket.

Before exiting, he heard the man's final words. "Blaze, Earthquake!"

He turned to help, but the whole Rocket Hideout started crumbling. This time, Alicia dragged him away from the building.

"Alicia! Leon!" Rendel's voice came as the blunette came running towards them, Megan following closely. "What the heck just happened? Are you guys alright?"

"A man helped us fight Team Rocket." Alicia said.

"It was a fearsome attack!" Leon said, partly-shocked, partly-grieved. "Could he have survived?"

"With a Charizard that powerful?" Alicia asked. "Indubitably! But who that was anyway?"

Leon shook his shoulders. "Someone I'd rather not have as an opponent! He's nearly as strong as Siebold. Believe me, I live with Siebold!"

"Maybe it was this man's Umbreon who helped us find Ralts and get out." Megan added. "The Pokémon suddenly vanished though!"

"Freeze, everyone!" a voice suddenly came through the woods as several Growlithe circled the teens. Before they could understand, Officer Jenny and Commissioner Looker walked towards them with shocked expressions.

"What the heck just happened here?" Looker asked.

"Long story, Commissioner!" Alicia said. "Maybe I can give you the report if you get us back to the hotel."

—

"So, you're an undercover agent of police?" Rendel asked, as they all sat on the hotel's terrace watching the midnight fireworks.

"Yeah, sort of." Alicia answered. She recalled the events after they returned to the hotel. The hardest part had been convincing Looker and Frederick to spare Megan. Alicia had defended the Johtoan by saying that under similar circumstances, any good trainer would have done the same. After a long thought, both of them agreed, saying that they'll tell the media that Team Rocket had tried to make another assault on the Pokélympic contestants by sending several Voltorb in presents.

"I'm happy Ralts is back!" Megan said. "And, I'm sorry for doing that to you, Alicia!"

"Mention not!" Alicia said. "As I said earlier, what you did has only proved your love for your Pokémon. And I appreciate a trainer like that."

"But still, as a symbol of gratitude as well as a Christmas gift, I got you this." Megan handed Alicia a bright orange stone with a flame pattern.

"A Fire Stone!" Alicia exclaimed. "Wait, how did you know I even have a Growlithe?"

"Team Rocket chose me over all the contestants." Megan said with a teasing smile. "You should've understood I do have some qualities." She turned to Rendel, "This is for you."

Rendel opened the little basket Megan had given him, revealing the rare custom made Apricot Balls. "Holy Jirachi! One of each seven kinds of them! You don't have an idea how great of a help these would be to me! Thanks a lot!"

"Rendel, what did you get for her?" Alicia asked.

"Well, it was damn difficult." Rendel spoke. "And then, I thought the gift should be symbolic to our friendship. So, here it is." Rendel took out a Pokéball from his belt and handed it to Megan. "This is my female Snorunt. I have a male one as well, and I was wishing this one to evolve into a Froslass. But two Ice-types of the same family would be overdoing it. So, it'd be better if you train her to become a Froslass."

Megan didn't said a word. She just leaned forward, gave a kiss on Rendel's cheek and ran downstairs. Rendel was too surprised to even say a word for a few seconds, then he stood up, said "Merry Christmas" and ran after Megan, leaving Alicia and Leon alone.

"Leon!" Alicia said, taking out a Dusk Stone from her handbag. "This might be useless now, but when Excalibur would evolve, this might come in handy."

"Thanks!" Leon said half-heartedly.

"What's it?" Alicia asked. "You didn't like it?"

"It's not that." Leon said. "See, I was pretty excited for this dance and the festivities. But Team Rocket washed it all away!"

"I don't think so!" Alicia said, getting a raised eyebrow from Leon. "This was the best date of my life, different than the cliched dance and dinners. And I'm glad it was with you."

"But—" Leon opened his mouth to speak, but Alicia shut it off by planting her lips on Leon's.

"I hope that explained enough." Alicia spoke, standing up. "Merry Christmas!"

"M-merry Ch-Christmas!" Leon stammered. Alicia smiled and left Leon to watch the fireworks. This was going to be a restless night...

—

 **Author's Notes: First of all, thanks to all who read my story. This chapter introduced yet another new move from Alneo generation. Feather Darts is a damage-dealing Flying-type move in which the Pokémon fires razor sharp feathers at the opponent. A variation of Razor Leaf, Feather Darts makes a contest combo when used after Steel Wing.**

 **Now, some info about Pokélympics:**

 **Pokélympics is an event held in Alneo Region once every four years. This mega-event sees teams from various parts of the world participating in a great number of athletic events and competitions, and the victorious team earns a fame greater than winning any regional championship. Moreover, the only requirement for entering a Pokélympic event is being part of a team, hence, even a beginner can take part in the event long as they are affiliated to a team. A Pokélympics Team requires four members at least and all members should have at least three Pokémon on hand. The events of Pokélympics are significantly different as they put both the trainer and their Pokémon to test, unlike the facilities in previous generations.**

 **So, the next update will see us return towards the tournament. OC's are always welcome. And please read & review.**


	6. The Power of Two

**The Power of Two**

Rendel had no idea that he will meet three celebrities of Pokémon World in a single stage...

The Christmas morning was indeed a blissful one, for more than one reasons. Despite the winter cold, everyone had been present on the breakfast table at 6 am morning.

"Good morning, trainers!" Frederick announced as he walked into the dining hall and took his seat. "And once again, wish you a Merry Christmas!"

The contestants wished back and Frederick continued. "I see you all are pretty exited about what is going to be the next task. I feel glad to have such brilliant trainers around, but as we all know, a Pokélympics team has place for only four and hence, elimination is must. And with today's task, we'll see the number going down to eight, which means half of you will not be here with us tomorrow. Still, I wish you luck and would request you to have breakfast, after which, we'll gather at the Coliseum for the next task."

The breakfast was tasty, but Rendel found it hard to eat. He had only managed to survive the last task because Alicia and her Rhyhorn helped. Considering that eight of the sixteen remaining trainers would be getting eliminated, he had estimated the task would be more difficult than the previous one and if that was the case, he doubted his odds.

Finishing the breakfast, all the trainers headed for the Coliseum. As always, the giant plasma screen was on, but this time, it displayed the images of the sixteen trainers.

"Wondering about the third task, are you?" Frederick asked through the microphone. "There's a reason that the Pokélympics event is participated by teams. In the events, you'll have to work in absolute collaboration and coordination with your teammates. And such teamwork would be put to test in today's task."

The trainers' images on the screen started to shuffle. "Contestants will be distributed in pairs and each pair would compete against another pair in a tag-team battle. However, the eight contestants will be chosen on the basis of points obtained. So, if you fall back in terms of scores, you'll be eliminated despite winning the battle. And here we have our tag teams!"

He gestured at the plasma screen and the shuffling images stopped, showing the battle layouts of the eight teams. Rendel noticed that Alicia and Megan were sorted in a team and would be going first against some Alnean girl named Tempera and a Kantonese boy named Dane. What shocked him was that the fourth battle was him and another boy named Hanson versus a girl named Rochelle and... Leon!

He felt a hand on his shoulders. "Is that a line o' stress on yer head?" Leon asked mockingly.

"Man, I'll be battling against you!" Rendel exclaimed.

"What's the big deal?" Leon asked. "Afraid o' losin'?"

"Partly!" Rendel spoke in a low voice. "The fact is, I never battled a friend before. Our friendship is fresh though, but I've always seen you as a brother. I'd not be able to make my Pokémon attack yours."

"That's it?" Leon asked, as if it wasn't much of an issue. "Rendel, look. A Pokémon trainer's first priority are his Pokémon. If ye'll give up widout tryin', ye'll give up on yer Pokémon. They trust ya as a trainer. D'ye trust 'em as yer team?"

"Yeah, but—"

"If ye trust 'em, ye got no exceptions." Leon spoke before Rendel could complete his sentence. "On the battlefield, I'm not yer friend. I'm yer opponent, jus' like ye're mine. Hit me wid yer best shot, so I can hit ya back. That's how a trainer grows."

Rendel nodded. "I-I'll try!"

"Ye have to, ma friend!" Leon said. "I wanna see both of us in this Pokélympics team. No matter what!"

Before Rendel could speak, Frederick made another announcement. "Before we start, let us welcome the jury of judges for this task..." He gestured at the young woman with long dark blue hair, who was dressed in a rose pink sweater and long blue skirt, with a white scarf around her neck.

The contestants who recognized the woman gasped in awe. "Please welcome, the celebrity Pokémon Coordinator of Sinnoh, Ms Dawn Berlitz!"

Dawn walked on the stage and waved her hand to the contestants, who replied with a huge applause and cheers.

"Dawn Berlitz, are you serious!" Alicia spoke with wide eyes.

"Isn't she one of the greatest coordinators of Sinnoh?" Rendel asked.

"She's Sinnoh's reply to May Roberts of Hoenn!" Alicia said. "Her mom, Johanna Berlitz, was the legendary Sinnoh Coordinator, and her dad was a descendant of famous Cornelius Berlitz, who started the Pokémon Contests in Sinnoh!"

"Okay, I got it!" Rendel said.

"The next judge of today's task is one of the most renowned personalities when it comes to Pokémon caring." Frederick announced. "Please welcome, Doctor Brock Boulder from Pewter City of Kanto!"

"Brock's been a gym leader for long." Megan commented. "I think this would be more serious than we have expected."

"Don't forget he's been a breeder as well as a doctor." Rendel added. "His focus would be more on how we battle without letting our Pokémon get much damage. Impressing him would be a great deal."

"And now, let's welcome the third personality who'll be sharing his previous time with us today." Frederick announced. "I don't think I've enough words to introduce him, his name says it all. So, put your hands together for the very own Pokémon Professor of Alneo, Professor Ash Ketchum!"

"Who?" nearly everyone said with slacked jaws. Out of everyone they had imagined, nobody had ever thought about having Ash in front of them. Though they had never got a chance to meet him personally, but Ash Ketchum was a name nobody could forget. The man who had competed in every existing regional league championships, conquered the Orange League, met and even battled almost every legendary Pokémon, and was now the Pokémon Researcher of Alneo Region, was standing in front of them!

"We're doomed, aren't we?" Alicia asked. "They can't be so hard on us! I mean, come on! Professor Ash had done almost everything there is to do in this world, from Gym Battles and League Tournaments to Contests and Battle Tents to Adventures and Researches! And his Pikachu is the only known Pokémon who can hurt Ground-type Pokémon with Electric-type attacks!" Watching everyone stare, she raised her hands in defense. "Okay, the last part was irrelevant, but won't he be just impossible to get points from?"

"Maybe that's why it's the semi-finals!" Leon said. "Battling's not the real challenge in here, getting points from the judges is."

"Leon's right!" Rendel agreed. "This is going to be our toughest task of this tournament. By the way, can his Pikachu actually hurt Ground-types with Electric attacks?"

—

After everyone was seated in the special contestants corner and the judges took their seats on the stage, Frederick explained the rules. "The battlers may use three Pokémon each, and nobody is allowed to switch Pokémon in the middle of a battle. The battle would end after twenty minutes, or if all Pokémon of any one trainer are knocked out, whichever comes first. So, without further ado, I'd call the first two tag teams on the field. From the contestants' corner, please welcome Team A: Megan Cho & Alicia Circuit, and Team E: Tempera Denver & Dane Tanoby."

"Good luck!" Rendel and Leon spoke in unison to the girls. The contestants walked towards the battlefield and shook hands. Tempera was pretty younger than the others, probably just 13. Her hair was done in a strange combination of icy blue and sparkling orange and her dress was a similar pattern. Even her eyes had different irides, left one was blue while the right one was amber. Dane, on the other hand, had a typical pale olive skin with shaggy brown hair. The boy was dressed in a green sweatshirt and red baggy pants.

"The first attack would be decided by a toss." Frederick announced, walking towards the contestants. "Since Alicia and Megan have a higher cumulative score, they'll be making the call."

Alicia and Megan made a silent agreement and spoke in unison. "Heads."

"Heads the call!" Frederick spoke, tossing the coin. "And, heads it is! So, Team A, would you be going first?"

"Well, I think we would allow them for the first attack." Alicia said.

"Making a mistake, sunshine!" Tempera chimed, before turning and walking over to their side of the field. Frederick gestured the others to take positions and returned to his spot as the referee of the battle.

"Ivysaur, I choose you!" Dane called out his Pokémon.

"Cryogonal, let's finish this already!" Tempera spoke.

"Both weak against Fire!" Alicia said. "That's great. Go, Gardie!" Alicia called out her Growlithe, who eyed the opponents suspiciously.

"Nice choice!" Megan said, calling out her own Pokémon. "Froslass!"

"You evolved her?" Alicia asked. "Brilliant!"

"And the time starts now!" Frederick announced.

"Ivysaur, Solarbeam!" Dane called.

"Cryogonal, Ice Wall!" Tempera commanded. The Crystal Pokémon created a giant wall of ice in front of Ivysaur, protecting it from attack.

"Damn!" Alicia cursed. "That would give Ivysaur a full scope to unleash the beam."

"Worry not!" Megan said. "Do your attack."

"Flamethrower on the Ice Wall!" Alicia commanded.

"Unleash the Solar beam!" Dane ordered.

"Froslass, Confuse Ray!" Megan spoke, getting her cue.

The Flamethrower melt the Ice Wall, but before Ivysaur was able to make an attack, Froslass's ray confused it to divert the beam on Cryogonal instead.

"Hey, watch out!" Tempera spoke.

"Gardie, Fire Spin on Cryogonal!"

"Froslass, Ice Beam on Ivysaur!"

"Ice Wall again!" Tempera ordered, but before the move was executed, Gardie had already trapped the Cryogonal in a fiery vortex. The Ice Beam landed a square hit, freezing Ivysaur solid.

"Crap!" Tempera said. "Cryogonal, Destiny Bond!" Cryogonal's body liberated a dark purple aura as the Pokémon unleashed the attack.

"What?" Alicia snapped. "How?"

"My Cryogonal is not one of your Unovan species." Tempera said. "I've a lot of secrets up my sleeve! Now, Cryogonal, start Hail!" Dark clouds gathered over the battlefield and large chunks of ice started raining. Gardie's Fire Spin was still hurting Cryogonal, but Tempera was in no mood to worry. Dane, on the other hand, was more conscious about his frozen Ivysaur.

"We can use the Hail to our advantage." Megan said to Alicia. "Defrost Ivysaur, I'll get Cryogonal!"

Alicia nodded. "Flamethrower on Ivysaur!"

"Long as I'm there, you can't!" Tempera spoke. "Crygonal, block the attack." Crygonal moved to get in between Ivysaur and the flames, but Froslass phased out of thin air and with a nasty smile, landed a point-blank Shadow Ball on Cryogonal, knocking the Ice-type out. The Destiny Bond worked and Froslass wailed, fainting herself.

Gardie's Flamethrower thawed the ice on Venusaur, at the same time dealt massive damage to the weaker-type Pokémon. Ivysaur looked damaged, but at least was able to take on some more. However, the hailstorm made it more troublesome for the Grass-type to stand.

Megan and Tempera returned their Pokémon, switching them with another. Megan sent out her Noctowl, and Tempera replied with a Vulpix.

"Vulpix, Will-o-wisp!" Tempera ordered. The orbs of ghostly flames engulfed Noctowl, scorching the Flying-type. Dane ordered his Ivysaur to use Rest, and the Grass-type went to sleep, replenishing its health.

"Noctowl, Wing Attack on Ivysaur!" Megan commanded. Noctowl's wings glowed as it swooped down for an attack, but Tempera commanded her Vulpix to use Flamethrower, that pushed Noctowl away from Ivysaur.

"Gardie, Take Down!" Alicia ordered.

"Protect!" Tempera said. "Then use Iron Tail." Gardie's Take Down was nullified by the green shield made by Vulpix, after which the Fox Pokémon jumped and slammed its iron-hard tail on Gardie's head, doing a somersault.

"Now, Flame Burst on Noctowl!" Tempera commanded before anyone else could react. The attack landed a straight hit on the already suffering Flying-type and knocked it out, leaving Megan with her final Pokémon.

"Is it me or Tempera bothers you too?" Rendel asked Leon.

"She's an Alnean." Alicia spoke. "Her Pokémon're way stronger."

"Not that." Rendel said. "When she was using Cryogonal, she stood calm and cool. Now with Vulpix, she's suddenly gone too much offensive to handle!"

Leon looked at the girl. Rendel was sure right. Tempera was almost jumping up and down with excitement. There were some unusual vibes about the little Alnean.

"Tempera is suffering from split personalities." a boy sitting besides Leon commented. "But she learned how to use it in Pokémon battles by combining the contradictory Ice and Fire types."

"How do you know?" Rendel asked the boy.

"We're from the same place." the boy replied.

Meanwhile, Megan had switched out for Ralts, slightly shifting the odds. She made Ralts teleport constantly, making it hard to aim on, and meanwhile used psychic attacks on Ivysaur, who was now awake but utterly confused by the constant psychic attacks by a teleporting opponent. Vulpix and Gardie managed to take on each other, but being limited to using only non-Fire moves, both had a bad luck on knocking each other out.

"Stun Spore on the Growlithe!" Dane commanded, finally deciding to focus on the other opponent. The spores paralyzed Gardie, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

"Vulpix, Sunny Day!" Tempera called. Vulpix shot an orb of dense light towards the sun, intensifying the sunlight. "Now use Shadow Ball on the Growlithe!"

"Solarbeam!" Dane shouted at the same time.

Noticing Gardie was out of options, Megan intervened. "Ralts, Teleport Gardie out of the way!" The Psychic Fairy appeared by Gardie's side and before the attacks could land, disappeared with the Pokémon. The attacks, however, did land– Shadow Ball made a direct hit on Ivysaur, while Solarbeam threw Vulpix out of the battlefield. Before Dane or Tempera could react, Rats and Gardie appeared just in front of Ivysaur and the Fire Pup unleashed a massive Flamethrower at point-blank.

When the dust shifted, only Ralts was seen standing on the battlefield. The Solarbeam was massive enough to knock the already weary Vulpix out, while the back-to-back Shadow Ball and Flamethrower was enough to do the same with Ivysaur. Gardie, however, had already sustained a lot of damage and a Flamethrower at point-blank generated enough reactive force to knock him out as well. Both the teams were even now. Alicia and Dane both still had two Pokémon left, while Tempera was down to her last.

"Ralts would be the target now." Rendel commented. "She's Megan's last Pokémon. If they knocked her out, they'll win the game. Easier than going after Alicia."

"Tempera's down te her las' as well." Leon reasoned. "The same strategy can go fo' them."

"Would need more effort." the boy who informed them about Tempera said. "Ralts is getting tired due to constantly teleporting around, while Tempera's next would be fresh into the battle. And I must say Tempera would be using her most powerful card now."

Alicia called out her Rhyhorn, while Dane called out his Kadabra. Tempera took out a custom orange-and-blue Pokéball, and called, "Unleash the fury of weather, go, Tempearl!"

The new Pokémon looked like two separate football-sized pearls, one icy-blue and other fiery-orange in color. The faces on both pearls displayed entirely different emotions– the blue one looked calm and cool, while the orange one appeared angry and malevolent.

"What is that?" Alicia asked, getting the Pokémon scanned on her PokéTab. The Tab buzzed, "Tempearl, the Weather Pearl Pokémon. The contradictory natures of Tempearl usually make it hard to train, but once mastered, it can manipulate the thermal energies of objects. The unique Fire/Ice type and an ability to use temperature of surroundings to boost its power make Tempearl a tough opponent."

"Fire/Ice, eh?" Leon asked. "The news 'bout Alnean Pokémon wasn't wrong."

"Tempearl are pretty rare even in Alneo." Tempera's friend said. "Only the royalty of Monarch Islands use them and their evolutions. Tempera got one when she took on the gym challenge. She lost, but her personality impressed the king and he offered her the Tempearl. It's her most powerful Pokémon."

"I don't think so." Rendel said. "The combination of Fire and Ice adds up the weaknesses more than it cancels them. Tempearl would be weak to Rhyhorn's both type and—"

"Don't you think Tempera knew that already?" the boy asked before Rendel could complete his sentence. "She's completely insane in battling! Can your friends face what they can't predict?"

"That remains te be seen." Leon answered, his complete focus on the battlefield, where the heat was getting up. Tempearl had used Hail, that according to Rendel's PokéTab, was doubling the power of its Ice-type moves, enabling Tempearl to do quadruple damage to Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn's Rock-type moves balanced the equilibrium, though, returning the favour to Tempearl. Kadabra and Ralts were duelling on a different level, exchanging Psychic-type attacks.

"The last three minutes left!" Frederick announced. "And it seems this battle is getting intense."

That was when Alicia made a dangerous move. "Rhyhorn, Earthquake!" Rhyhorn lifted both his forelimbs and smashed them on the ground, creating disastrous seismic waves that was felt by every single person present. The ground shook so violently that the audience burst into chaos. People hid under their seats, even the judges took shelter behind their desk.

When the audience finally gathered enough courage to peep at the battlefield, it was covered in dense clouds of dust. Leon stood up to go look for Alicia, but Rendel grabbed his hand.

"They'll be okay!" he said.

"They're closest te the epicenter!" Leon replied in utter horror. "Earthquake isn't a move te be used in such battles."

"Alicia knew that as well." Rendel said. His answer was confirmed when the dust shifted and two glowing pink domes were seen in the battlefield.

"What's that?" Leon asked, getting a smile from Rendel.

"Ralts!" Rendel replied. It took everyone a little time to realize that the little Fairy had created psychic shields around the contestants to protect them from harm. Ralts levitated down and stood beside Rhyhorn, while both the opposing Pokémon were knocked out cold by the Earthquake.

"And the time's over!" Frederick announced, the audience bursting into applause. "We'll move over to the judges to assign points to the contestants."

The battlers returned their respective Pokémon and walked to the centre of the battlefield, which was a complete mess of rubble.

"Today, I've seen the dumbest risk taken by any trainer in Pokémon battling." Ash commented. "Believe me, I know a lot of dumb risk-takers, I am one of them. But I can't remember even I had done anything like this. I mean, using Earthquake to turn the tide last minute, are you kidding me!"

"Many people think that Earthquake is an illegal move." he continued. "But unlike Fissure or Horn Drill, it is not banned from any competitive battle, because it doesn't causes injuries that can cause a Pokémon's death. People just never use it because of the aftermath, evident from the battle field's condition. Had you used this move just like that, you wouldn't have gotten a single point from me, but using Ralts to shield not only yourself, but also your opponents is what gets your team a perfect twenty from me!"

"Perfect ten points each from Ash!" Frederick repeated. "Congratulations, Alicia and Megan!"

"Coming to Team E," Ash continued, "Tempera, you are a complete enigma to me. I'm still trying to understand what strategy had you used in the battle. But whatever it was, it sure gave your opponents a hard time and I believe that if the Earthquake trick hadn't been executed, you'd have been my star of this match. So, I'll give you nine points! However, I couldn't say I'm impressed by Dane. First of all, you're from my home region, I was expecting more from you, Dane. Half of the battle, your Ivysaur was just sleeping carelessly. I know it was a strategical move, but you should have kept a way out if you were going to use Rest. Try teaching your Pokémon Sleep Talk or Snore to prevent this again. For now, I'd just give you a five."

"Nine and Five, okay!" Frederick said. "Brock, your comments?"

"I agree with Ash on the dumb risk-taking part." Brock said. "You actually reminded me of him when you commanded for that attack. I'd just say it was beautifully executed, while keeping the safety of contestants in mind. Alicia and Megan, you two were magnificent as a team since the start, helping each other out of harm. For your collaboration, you get nine points each from me."

He turned to Tempera, "Continuing what Ash said, you actually are unpredictable, but I actually felt disappointed after your Cryogonal was knocked out. Till then, your collaboration with your partner was brilliant. You keep Ivysaur safe from harm and all. But soon you switched to Vulpix, you went outright offensive and left Ivysaur vulnerable and helpless. I'm sorry, but that cut my intended score for you and all I would give you is a four!"

"Dane, my friend!" Brock said with a sigh. "I think you were the most affected one by Tempera's change of strategy. You used Rest believing that she would keep you safe, but that turned back on you. Am I right?"

Dane nodded, his face red with embarrassment.

"Well, since I think that wasn't your mistake, I'll grant you eight points, hoping that you might manage to clear this task and would show your true power in the finals." With this Brock gestured Frederick to speak.

"So, 19 points each to Megan and Alicia, while Tempera and Dane stand at 13 each." Frederick said. "So, Dawn, what would you say about this battle?"

"This battle was way more violent than what I'm used to." Dawn said with a smile. "But then again, it's not a contest, so we may ignore the not-visually-appealing part. Ralts got more attention from me than the others, simply because it's cute and knows how to execute moves beautifully. The Teleport-Psychic combo was well-planned and I hadn't imagined she could create a force field strong enough to hold back an Earthquake after spending so much energy already. Only for your Ralts, I'd give you nine points."

"That elevates Megan's score to 28!" Frederick announced.

"As for you," she said to Alicia, "your Growlithe was a tough little Pokémon. We all know Take Down causes damage to the user as well, but it still held off its own against Tempera's Vulpix. Rhyhorn was indeed brilliant, but since both my friends have already said enough, I'll just let my eight points explain it all."

"And with this, Alicia's final score is 27!" Frederick announced.

"Tempera, holy Arceus, girl!" Dawn gasped. "I never imagined a girl of your age giving such a competition to rather mature and experienced trainers! The constant weather effects were great and your Vulpix was just the next level of offensive battling. Though that one time where your attacks were used against yourselves would deduct some points, so here's an eight for you. As for Dane, I agree with both Ash and Brock. You got too much dependent on your partner that you stopped trying on your part. Kadabra was good, but by that time, Tempera had taken over the spotlight. So, I'd wish you luck for the future and give you six points."

"That brings Tempera and Dane at 21 and 19 points respectively." Frederick announced. "You must now rush to the Pokémon Center and get your Pokémon healed so you can return in time to watch the next match."

—

Little did the people at the Coliseum knew, a few yards ago, a little group of people were making a sinister plan.

"Is everything ready, Ariana?" Archer asked.

"Affirmative!" Ariana replied. "We'd be ready for the assault soon as the Pokélympics event starts. The world will belong to Team Rocket!"

—

 **Author's notes: First of all, Tempearl is a fan made Pokémon exclusive to Alneo generation. Tempearl are exclusively found in the Monarch Islands of Alneo and are famous for their unique Fire/Ice type and their signature ability, Thermoscopy, which doubles the power of Fire-type (if temperature is above 30 degrees) or Ice-type (if temperature is below 25 degrees).**

 **On getting the Thermal Ornament, Tempearl can be evolved into Tempendant, which embeds the two pearls in a single pendant-like structure. Tempendant further evolves into Tempandora on learning Weather Fury (which is a new Alneo-Gen move). Tempandora is based loosely on the myth of Pandora's box and looks like a treasure chest with a large golden padlock. The two pearls are still embedded on the front of the chest. Using the Tempandorite Mega Stone, it can Mega Evolve into Mega Tempandora, which now has its chest open, revealing sharp fang-like ice crystals lined around the corner and a swirl of flame and icy wind circulating outwards. The two pearls now combine into one large pearl on the centre, combining its contradictory minds into one and raising its Sp. Atk. and Sp. Def.**

 **Please read and review.**


	7. Friendship & Competition

**Friendship and Competition**

The nervousness was starting to get on Rendel's nerves. After three matches already finished, it was just one last match left for the Tag Battle Task, and that was going to pit him against Leon Belle, his new best-friend.

Battling a friend was not a new concept to the Pokémon World. There won't be a single person who hadn't heard about the epic battle between Cynthia and Diantha, the two sisters, in which Cynthia won by a fractional margin and became the Sinnoh Champion. Professor Gary Oak's book titled "Friendly Rivals" was all about his childhood memories where he and Ash had numerous intense battles. Dawn Berlitz and May Roberts had to face each other for the title of World's Contest Legend. The entirety of Pokémon World was full of it.

But still, it was awkward for Rendel. Leon had lived and trained with Siebold, the best Elite Four member of Kalos. Compared to that, all Rendel had was his training in the Shoal Cave. Moreover, the last two matches got pretty good scores from the judges and two get into the top eight, Rendel now had to manage a figure of 20 at the very least, and that only when the other three get a lower score, which was almost impossible since Rendel was sure that Leon would definitely achieve a good score.

Not that he was afraid for losing. Well, he was, partly, but that wasn't his prime worry. Leon was a friend. Maybe, just maybe, if Leon lost and got eliminated, just the thought filled Rendel with guilt. Had it been a Regional League Tournament, Rendel would've gone to the battlefield like a warrior. But Pokélympics was entirely different story. It was a once-in-four-year chance, and as much he had learned about Leon, the Kelsh boy deserved this chance as much as Rendel did. And knowing Leon, Rendel could say that he'll feel the same if Rendel got eliminated in this task.

"I wan' both of us in this team!" he had said to Rendel. Was that even possible?

"You look troubled, Rendel." Megan spoke, sitting beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"The battle." Rendel said. "Leon—"

"Ye still cryin' over that?" Leon's voice came as the Kelsh boy walked into the corridor. "Rendel, Mon' Ami, I told ya a'ready. Ye need not worry 'bout it!"

"How come I not worry about it, Leon?" Rendel said. "I'm not good enough in battles like you are. Still, if I managed, I don't want you to get eliminated."

"That's it?" Leon asked, as if that wasn't even a problem. "D'ye seriously think I'll let meself get eliminated?"

"No, but—"

"But nothin'!" Leon raised his hand. "I'll be giving ma bes' out there, and I want'ye te do the same. If ye held back, ye don' deserve te be here!"

"Leon, please—" Megan interrupted, but Leon's glare made her stop.

"I understand he's upset." Leon said. "But if he'll act like this, he's lost a'ready! Rendel, look. Ye'll get a plenty o' time te think 'bout me. Till then, think 'bout yerself."

Rendel looked at Leon and nodded. A few days ago, when Rendel had explained the importance of this event in his life to Leon, he thought the Kelsh boy wouldn't understand. But now when he looked at him, Rendel felt that nobody had ever understood the thing better than Leon.

"The contestants for the final match are requested to report on the battlefield." Frederick's voice echoed through the speakers.

"Ye comin'?" Leon asked.

Rendel took a deep breath, trying to exhale all the stress out of his mind, then stood up. "Alright! Let's do this!"

All through the way, Megan kept informing them about the other two trainers. "Rochelle has an Altaria, a Dedenne, a Ponyta and an Onix. She had achieved the first place in the Labyrinth Race using her Ponyta and that's where she caught her Onix. Hanson, on the other hand, owns a Claydol, a Graveler, an Electrode and a Gastly."

"This Hanson guy appears pretty obsessive of spherical Pokémon." Rendel commented.

"Typically." Megan replied. "You know your allies and opponents, so play out well. I'll be cheering for you with Alicia."

"Where's she, anyway?" Leon asked.

"Looker called her a while ago." Megan replied. "She said she'll return as soon as possible. Now, you two go there and start the battle before they disqualify you."

"Here are the final four contestants for this task." Frederick announced. "Team D: Leon Belle and Rochelle Fernandes from Kalos Vs. Hanson Smith from Kanto and Rendel Glaze from Hoenn! Let the battle commence!"

Taking their respective positions, the trainers called out their respective Pokémon. Leon started off with Fletchling, while Rochelle went ahead with Onix. Hanson replied with his Gastly and Rendel called out Psyduck to tackle Onix.

"That boy owns a Snorunt, right?" Tempera asked from the seat beside Megan. "That could've taken out both Onix and Fletchling."

"Fletchling knows a Fire move and is pretty faster than Snorunt." Megan replied. "Rendel instead gave his complete focus on Onix's double weakness to water and Psyduck would remain shielded from Fletchling's move as well." While that answer was completely believable, Megan knew the sole reason for Rendel to select Psyduck was that he didn't wanted to battle Leon in the first place.

"Onix, dig underground." Rochelle commanded. "Then attack Psyduck from beneath."

"Gastly, Curse Fletchling!" Hanson called. The command sure sounded weird, but the move was even creepier. Gastly's gaseous form was enveloped in an ectoplasmic purple aura and the pain was visible on the ghost's face. A similar aura then wrapped Fletchling and a similar expression of hurt was seen on the bird's face as well.

"The Curse Move!" Megan commented. "That's nasty!"

"Fletchling, avenge that with an Ember attack!" Fletchling opened its mouth and fired a series of red-hot coal at Gastly.

"Psyduck, wait for any disturbance in the ground." Rendel said. "Then jump and attack with Water Pulse." Psyduck waited to sense the tremors in the ground, trying to predict Onix's position, then jumped up, doing a maneuver mid-air and blasting a jet of water at the Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix staggered, but charged at Psyduck nevertheless, landing damage.

"Fletchling, use Wing Attack on Gastly." Leon commanded. With wings glowing white, Fletchling swooped on Gastly, damaging the Ghost Pokémon. However, soon the attack was executed, Fletchling was enveloped in the ghostly aura, getting hurt by the Curse.

"That Curse would be a huge problem for Fletchling." Megan said.

"Gastly, use Poison Gas on Onix!" Hanson ordered. Gastly let out a purple gas at Onix, the Rock Snake wincing as it inhaled the toxic gas, poison surging through its respiratory system.

"And that brings them at advantage on both the opponents." Tempera commented. "Curse and Poison would steal their healths continuously. The first round is almost in their hands completely."

"Leon would find a way out." Megan replied.

As if he heard Megan, Leon ordered, "Fletchling, Fiery Wings special!" The bird Pokémon shook off the after effects of Curse and blasted a flurry of Ember at Gastly, followed with a Wing Attack and Feather Darts. The combination move was too much for Gastly, who fainted out of injuries. However, the Curse enacted again, and Fletchling almost collapsed down on the ground.

"He won't be able to take it for long." Megan spoke in worry.

On the other side, Psyduck had managed to get an upper hand on the Onix due to the double advantage and poisoning, and the rock snake soon collapsed down to its injuries.

"Gastly and Onix are unable to battle." Frederick announced. "The trainers are requested to switch them out." The red beams flashed as Gastly and Onix were returned and switched out with Electrode and Dedenne.

Rochelle took a straight on offense at Psyduck, attacking the Water-type with super effective Electric moves. Rendel went defensive, using Protect combined with Confusion to counter Dedenne's moves.

"That'd place Rochelle and Hanson at an advantage over Rendel and Leon." Megan commented. "Psyduck and Fletchling are both weak to Electric-type moves."

"Rochelle would sure get an advantage, but it seems Hanson made the wrong move bringing out Electrode." Tempera said. "Fletchling is pretty weak already. Another damage from the Curse and it will be out. Then Leon would be the one with advantageous choice. Electrode won't even get a chance to exploit its super effectiveness."

And Tempera was sure right. Fletchling did damaged Electrode a little with its Ember attack, but the Curse took it out before Electrode could even react.

"There goes Hanson's points!" Tempera chimed.

Leon switched Fletchling with Frogadier, sending the audience in surprise.

"Is that boy mental?" Tempera exclaimed. "He could've chosen any freaking Pokémon but he went with a Water-type! Seriously?"

"You look more interested than you had in your own battle." Megan said. "Anyways, Leon knows what he's doing."

This time, Megan was right. Frogadier had a super speed. Electrode was nowhere close to the Water-type in terms of speed and the Sonicboom attacks that the Electric sphere did missed Frogadier by large distances.

The fate wasn't similar for Psyduck, though. Dedenne's Nuzzle had crippled the already slower Pokémon with paralysis, while whatever damage Psyduck managed to do was restored by Parabolic Charge.

"Psyduck, Confusion!" Rendel called. The psychic shock dealt good amount of damage to Dedenne.

"Shake it off, Dedenne!" Rochelle called. "And use Parabolic Charge." But it seemed Dedenne was not in a mood to obey. The Electric/Fairy watched her trainer with a confused look on her face as if she wasn't sure what to make out of that last command.

"Come on, Dedenne, Parabolic Charge!" Rochelle called again. Dedenne staggered around the field, hitting herself with stray rocks.

Meanwhile, Frogadier had defied all laws of type-effectiveness by single-handedly taking on Electrode.

"Alright Frogadier, Quick Attack again!" Leon commanded. Frogadier took speed again, but Hanson by now had found a way to end this.

"Electrode, Self-destruct!" he called as the blur of blue closed in towards Electrode. The impact of the blast sent all the four trainers off their feet. It was not as devastating as Earthquake, but still was a pretty dangerous move on Hanson's part. As the dust shifted, all the four Pokémon were seen unconscious on the battlefield.

"The shit just escalated way too quickly!" Tempera whistled. "Now, everyone except Rendel is down to the last Pokémon."

"Unless it's Rendel's, the next knock out would end the entire match." Megan said, shifting on her seat.

"So, all's down te ya!" Leon said to the Premier Ball. "Dun' disappoint me. Excalibur!" The Honedge materialized out of the ball and unsheathed its blade, getting ready for the battle. To aid the sword Pokémon, Rochelle called her Altaria. Hanson replied with Graveler, while Rendel called...

"Glalie!"

"When did his Snorunt evolve?" Tempera asked excitedly.

"I have no idea!" Megan replied. Rendel was absent for the last two matches. He was absolutely out there training.

"Graveler, Rollout!" Hanson made the first command. The Rock-type curled into a ball and started rolling towards Excalibur.

"Excalibur, move out of the way!" Leon commanded, and the Honedge dodged the upcoming attack. However, Graveler collided on a rock and came back, hitting Excalibur from behind.

"Altaria, Dragon Pulse!" Rochelle called. Altaria let loose a pulse of draconic aura at Glalie, who used the Protect move to block the attack, then fired an Ice Beam at the dragon bird. Altaria, though dodged the beam, collided with Graveler's Rollout.

"Reminded me of the Pokémon Pinball machine dad brought me on my 10th birthday." Tempera commented.

Really, Graveler looked like a large rock pinball, rolling around the battlefield, getting deflected by rocks and pummeling anyone in the way (which unfortunately were the opponents' Pokémon).

"Graveler's Rollout would pose a new threat to Leon and Rochelle." Megan said. "They now have to keep a check on the stray pinball bumping around randomly."

"Altaria, Dragonbreath on Graveler!" Rochelle commanded. However, the green smoke wasn't enough to stop the rolling rock and Graveler once again hit Altaria hard.

"Excalibur, Slash at Glalie!" Leon called. The sword Pokémon slashed its blade on Glalie, making a gash above the left eye. The Ice-type winced, but held its ground.

"Leon Belle, you bastard!" Rendel shouted.

"Not ma fault that ye weren't prepared!" Leon replied from the other side. "Excalibur, Slash again!"

"Double Team, then Ice Beam!" Rendel commanded. Before the Slash attack could land, Glalie created several copies of himself, Excalibur hitting a decoy. The copies vanished and the real Glalie fired an Ice Beam at Excalibur. The Honedge landed on the ground with a clank, its blade completely frozen.

Before Rendel could make another move, Altaria's Aerial Ace hit Glalie, throwing him a few feet back. "Glalie, Ice Beam!" he called, but Altaria simply flew out of the way. "Damn you!"

"Altaria, Sky Attack!" Rochelle called. The dragon bird soared the heights of the sky and swooped down at Glalie.

"Glalie, Ice Beam!" Rendel called. But Altaria's Sky Attack cut through the beam and would have landed a severely damaging hit if Rendel hadn't commanded Glalie to use Protect at the last moment.

"Another Sky Attack!" Rochelle called, and Altaria started gaining height again.

"Uh-oh!" Tempera spoke. "Protect won't work so frequently."

"Think, Rendel!" Rendel muttered to himself, looking around for motivation. "Alright, use Ice Beam, three feet behind you."

"What is he doing?" Tempera asked as Glalie fired Ice Beam on the ground. Altaria swooped down with its Sky Attack and when it seemed like Glalie was gone, Graveler rolled over the Ice-type and collided head-on with Altaria's Sky Attack.

It took Rochelle a while to understand that Rendel actually judged Graveler's motion and made an ice ramp for the Rock-type to roll on. Neatly timed, Graveler was propelled into the air by the ramp and helped in blocking the Sky Attack with Rollout.

"Shake it off, Altaria!" Rochelle spoke, but even she knew that Glalie's attack won't miss this time.

"Ice Beam!" Rendel called, and Glalie executed the move, freezing Altaria's wings.

"Altaria, Roost!" Rochelle called. The dragon bird roosted on the ground, preening its feathers.

"Glalie, Ice—" Rendel called, but was interrupted by a Slash attack from Excalibur.

"Ye din't expect that it'll be frozen fo' lifetime, eh?" Leon asked.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Hanson said. "Seismic Toss, Graveler!" Graveler rolled towards Altaria, who tried to fly away, but the ice on its wings hindered the Dragon-type. Graveler caught its wings and jumped into the air, then threw Altaria towards the ground.

"Excalibur, Shadow Sneak!" Leon commanded.

"Glalie, Harden!" Rendel called. The ice on Glalie's body got hard, decreasing the damage from Shadow Sneak. "Now, use Blizzard!"

"What?" Leon exclaimed, as cold winds whipped around his body. A storm of icy wind engulfed the battlefield.

"Aid it with Sandstorm!" Hanson ordered. Graveler started spinning on the spot, starting a massive sandstorm. The combined attack left no escape for the opponents and both Altaria and Excalibur were damaged by the massive weather hazard.

"Altaria, Dragon Pulse!" Rochelle commanded.

"Graveler, Defense Curl!" Hanson called. Graveler curled around its spherical body, negating most of the damage from the attacks.

"Glalie, use Ice Beam!" Rendel called. Altaria had no time to dodge the attack and was once again frozen solid almost completely.

"I hate this!" Rochelle snapped. "Roost!"

"Graveler, Magnitude!" Hanson commanded. Graveler slammed its fists on the ground, creating a violent tremble and breaking the ground around Altaria.

"That was some brilliant strategy." Tempera whistled. "Using Altaria's Roost to attack it with a Ground-type move!"

"Do you remember that you won't be in the top eight if all of them got higher scores?" Megan asked.

"Shit, you're right!" Tempera answered, considering Megan, then turning to the battlefield. "Do something stupid, y'all!"

Megan rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the battlefield. The four Pokémon were fighting as if there entire life was dependent on this very moment. Constant clashes of attacks made it difficult to predict the winner. And that was when Rochelle made a new turn.

"Altaria, unleash your fury with Mega Evolution!" she called, the keystone on her bracelet glowing with intense lavender and baby pink colored aura. A similar aura engulfed Altaria and the Pokémon's features changed as it transformed into a more powerful form.

"Uh-oh!" said Tempera, watching the Mega Evolution. "That'd make this fight hell lot tougher for Rendel and Hanson."

"Altaria, Dragon Pulse!" Rochelle commanded, and the Mega Altaria released another strong pulse of aura at Glalie with such immense speed that the Ice-type didn't get a chance to evade. The attack landed a direct hit, making Glalie faint.

"That was a good fight, Glalie!" Rendel spoke, recalling the Pokémon and tossing out another Pokéball. "Flare, use Flame Charge on Altaria!"

The Pokéball popped open and a swirl of flames erupted out, engulfing Mega Altaria. As the flames subsided, a yellow-and-orange Pokémon was seen crouching before Rendel.

"Com-busken!" it chirped, taking a fighting stance.

"Excalibur, Slash attack!" Leon called.

"Use Quick Attack to evade and then use Poison Jab on Altaria!" Rendel commanded. Flare moved with unparalleled speed, making Excalibur miss its attack. With its claws glowing violet, it swiped the Mega Altaria's torso. The Mega-evolved Pokémon winced in pain and lost its flight for a while.

"Shake it off and use Moon—" Rochelle started, but the command was broken by the loud roar of whistle, indicating the time up.

"Well, well, well!" Frederick spoke on the mic. "That was some different level of Pokémon battling we've seen in this tournament. Please recall your Pokémon." The trainers obliged. "Now, the scores!"

—

"I just can't believe I managed to qualify!" Rendel spoke, as he walked out of the Coliseum with Leon and Megan.

The final scores from the three judges had got both the boys into top eight, along with Rochelle. Hanson's scores were good, but in the end, he was one point behind Tempera. Probably because Brock gave him pretty low scores for using his Graveler as a bowling ball instead of using it to its full potential.

"Glad I din't use a Rock-type." Leon spoke. "Brock gets pretty sentimental about them."

"He was once the Pewter City Gym Leader!" Megan answered. "What else would you expect?"

"So, all of us are going to the finals, isn't it?" Rendel asked.

"Yeah, along with Tempera, Rochelle, Hugo, and Jamie." Megan spoke, looking at her PokéTab.

"Who are Hugo and Jamie?" Rendel asked.

"They qualified in the second battle." Megan answered. "Hugo Landers came from the Sevii Islands and Jamie Tennyson is from Oblivia."

"Oblivia?" Leon asked. "Ye mean that rock/pop band?" The other two stared him as if he had just grown a horn on his head. "What? That was a nice band, man!"

"Never mind!" Rendel said, turning to Megan. "But, I thought they are prohibited from catching Pokémon in Oblivia."

"Well, Jamie started out as a ranger student as well, but then he decided that a trainer's life is better and shifted over to Kanto." Megan answered.

"And this Hugo boy's from Unova, which makes him Alicia's neighbour." Leon spoke with a grin which soon vanished. "Wait, isn't she supposed to be back by now?"

As if waiting for someone to bring the topic, Megan's PokéTab rang. "It's her!" she informed, picking up the call. "Alicia, holy lord, where are you?"

"It's something important." Alicia spoke from the other side, in a voice full of urgency. "Have Rendel and Leon finished their match?"

"Yep." Megan said. "And guess what, they qualified."

"That's good." Alicia said, but her voice remained the same way. "Alright, listen now. You three should visit the Pokélympics Museum right now! There's something we –uh– I need your help with. Come immediately. And make sure nobody is watching you!" And the line went dead.

"Why would she want us at the Pokélympics Museum?" Megan wondered.

"A party, maybe!" Leon supplied.

"She didn't appear to be partying somehow." Megan said with a glare.

"Well, if she's called, we must go." Rendel said and the trio walked towards the Museum's direction.

However, they had no idea that the nearby tree had an odd red zigzag pattern on it. On first look, it appeared just a cosmetic design someone made there thinking it's fun, but on closer inspection, one might be able to view very faint scales, neatly camouflaged against the tree trunk. And nobody knew this camouflaged Pokémon had a spy camera attached to its waist. The Kecleon reverted to its original color for a split second, then became invisible again as it jumped on to another tree, following the trainers.

—

"So, what was the important task for which you called us here?" Megan asked Alicia, as the latter received them outside the museum.

"You remember I mentioned Team Rocket tried to steal something from the museum?" Alicia asked.

"Yep." Leon replied. "Ye said they weren't able te steal it though."

"Because everything was found to be at its place." Rendel added. "Yes, I remember."

"I still fail to understand what would Team Rocket want to steal from a museum dedicated to Pokélympics." Megan said. "It's only filled with photographs, newspaper cuttings, medals and trophies!"

"Exactly what hit me." Alicia said. "Hence, I asked Looker to recheck the museum more thoroughly. And guess what he found."

"Tell me Team Rocket didn't actually find what they were lookin' for!" Leon said.

"The same I wanted to believe, young man, but they did." Looker spoke, walking towards the trainers. "And not just anything. A very ancient artefact it is. A stone tablet written by an ancient alchemist. The Tablet has the power to call forth one of the most destructive Pokémon ever known. Shall they find how to use it, the creature would destroy the very fabric of the reality."

—

 **Author's Notes: Well, I would like to know the readers' view on how I write the battles and would want some constructive ideas if you feel I lack somewhere. The next chapter would see the final task of this tournament and a nice surprise for readers.**

 **Please read & review. I need reviews!**


	8. Trapped

**Trapped**

Final task, something all the eight finalists have waited for since last three days.

During the dinner on the night of the Double Battle Task, Frederick had informed them that the contestants will split into two teams of four and the team that would win the final task would be the team who would be participating in the Pokélympics. Since Megan's score was the greatest till now, she was given the privilege to select her team of four and she chose Rendel, Leon and Alicia.

And today was the day of final task. As the contestants gathered in the Coliseum, Frederick walked towards them, his Plusle and Minun jumping gleefully behind him.

"Everything set, trainers?" he asked.

"Almost!" Leon spoke. "Jus' waitin' for ya te explain the task."

"It's much simpler than what you think." Frederick said. "I've heard that someone's spreading rumors that the next task would include swimming with Mega Sharpedo, or wrestling with Feraligatr, but those are plain bull crap! Your final task include getting an artefact from a place."

"A theft?" Leon asked, recalling his times back when he ran around Kalos stealing from merchants.

"Not necessarily!" Frederick said. "The artefact has always been there for someone worthy to find, but as we know it, nobody had managed to get their hands on it till now."

"So, what's this artefact anyway?" Tempera asked.

"In due time, Miss!" Frederick said. "First, I'd like to give you this." He took out two Pokéballs from his pocket and held them out. "These are two Abra. Since this task is more dangerous than anything else, these Pokémon will act as your life buoys. If you fell into trouble, just command them to use Teleport and they'll bring you back at the start."

"Wait, couldn't these Abra be used for cheating in the task?" Jamie asked. "Like, teleporting straight to the said artefact and then teleporting back?"

"Well, I won't dare you to try that." Frederick said. "Because a Pokémon would only teleport to places it already knows. If used to teleport to an unknown location, it can end you up inside a locked trunk ready to be pulverized in a recycling machine."

That comment was enough to shut everyone up.

"So, now that everything's known, let's move towards the next phase." Frederick said, tossing out the two Pokéballs. "Teleport us to the decided venue."

As soon as the command was given, the world around the contestants started to spin. After a tense mind-numbing moment, the contestants felt the ground back under their feet.

Leon fell on his knees. "Ugh, it felt someone put my intestines into a juicer!"

"At least you teleported in one piece." Frederick said. "There have been people who left a limb or two behind while teleporting."

"Not helping, sir!" Leon spoke, almost gagging.

"It happens when you teleport for the first time." Frederick spoke. "Here, have some mint. You'll feel refreshed."

"Uh, Frederick sir!" Alicia spoke, looking around. "Tell me this is not the place I think it is."

Everyone finally looked around. They were standing on a place that looked like a crater inside a forest. A large part of this crater was filled with water with a small part of land on which the contestants stood. A few feet ahead was a small cave.

"Well, if you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're right!" Frederick said. "Welcome to the Sendoff Springs!"

"Wait, what do you want us to find here?" Tempera asked.

"The Griseous Orb, why?" Frederick replied.

"What!" Hugo screamed. "You're asking us to get the Griseous Orb straight under 'his' nose! Are you seriously mental?"

"There's no need to panic, Hugo!" Rochelle said. "We're supposed to find some orb in here. That's no big deal!"

"Do you actually know what this place is?" Tempera asked.

"The Sendoff Springs." Rochelle replied. "That's what Frederick said, right?"

"Rochelle, this place is the straightaway entrance into 'his' domain." Hugo spoke.

"Whose domain?" Rochelle asked.

"She knows nothing about this place." Tempera rolled her eyes.

"The tales of ancient Sinnoh features this tale." Megan said. "Sendoff Springs was formed when 'he' first appeared in our world. That was during the time Sinnoh was a fresh new region, the first region of the modern world. He came to this world because of the chaos which erupted when Ransei was divided. For some reason, his presence alerted his siblings, who arrived to counter the destruction caused by him. The battle between the trio started to rip the reality itself. That was when the founder of Sinnoh collected the three magical ingredients: the Temporal Diamond, which was known to appear every year at the time when day and night would be exactly equal and the lunar calendar would be exactly halfway down; the Spacial Pearl, which was found beyond the deepest trench in the sea; and the Distortion Platinum, the only metal found in the world on the opposite side of ours. He crafted three magical orbs from these materials, namely, the Adamant Orb, the Lustrous Orb, and the Griseous Orb, and gave them as gifts to the trio. The trio was pleased by the gifts, as the magic of the orbs made them even more powerful. And He was the happiest, since the orb helped him retain his Origin Forme even in this world, something he was denied to do by the Almighty Arceus! The cave here, known as the Turnback Cave, inhabits a portal to his domain in the deepest part of the cave, made to enable those who follow his cult to interact with him."

"Okay!" Rochelle spoke. "But who is 'he' anyways?"

"The God of Distortion!" Megan replied. "Giratina!"

"That's it?" Rochelle asked, laughing hysterically. "You all are afraid because of some tales of mythology? Everyone knows there's no such things as gods! Mew was the ancestral Pokémon and everyone else came from it. There's no Giratina."

"Apparently, only you seem to believe so." Rendel said. "Don't you know what happened to Cyrus when he tried to use the powers of Dialga and Palkia for world domination?"

"Well, he went MIA and Cynthia Blackheart made an urban legend to prevent anyone else from walking his shoes!" Rochelle said.

"That's one interesting theory." Frederick said. "Believing so would obviously help you in the search of the Griseous Orb. As for the others, it is said that Giratina never appears in the Turnback Cave or the associated part of Distortion World unless called. So, you should not worry about the vengeful legendary."

"Also," Frederick continued, "the physical laws of time and space are all non-existent inside the Distortion Realm. So, you'd have all the time you want. Once you find the Orb, you must return here to claim your victory. Apart from that, anything and everything is considered fair."

The two teams reluctantly entered the Turnback Cave. The inside of the cave appeared like a large hall carved inside a cliff. Three tunnels from this hall led deeper into the cavern.

"Meet you guys after the task." Rochelle spoke, walking down one of the tunnels. Her team followed and soon the four were out of sight.

"We should be careful." Megan warned. "The Distortion Lord's temper is something that shouldn't be tested."

"Ye heard Frederick!" Leon said. "Giratina never comes te this part o' the realm."

"I hope he won't." Alicia spoke. "I'm already stressed about the stolen tablet Looker told us about."

"What if the tablet was about Giratina?" Rendel supplied. "Well, he's the Vengeful Distortion Lord, isn't he? And people over the ages have followed his cult. Maybe that alchemist who wrote the tablet was one of them and he probably wrote the tablet as a key to some portal to the Distortion Realm?"

"Probably!" Leon agreed. "But I dun' think we should follow a blind lead. We need more details."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Alicia asked. "I went through every single e-book I could find about the history of Pokémon World, even read some ancient alchemy notes by Leonardo Da Vincent and it proved nothing!"

"Gee, Alicia!" Leon said. "How did you find alchemy notes written by a Ninja Squirtle?"

"A what?" the other three asked in unison.

"Ye said Leonardo, right?" Leon asked. "Isn't he one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirtle?"

"Just let it be, Leon!" Alicia said, shaking her head. "And for heaven's sake stop watching TV!"

"Hey, what's wrong in watchin' TV?" Leon spoke with an offended expression. "Ye can learn a lot of things from TV."

"For example?" Alicia asked.

"Well, like Taylor Swift won the best Pokémon Musical o' the Year award this time." Leon said proudly.

"And how the heck is that information useful?" Alicia snapped. "Leon, I got nothing against your addiction to popular culture, but you should spend more time on more meaningful things in life."

Alicia walked ahead in a huff. Rendel put his hand on Leon's shoulders. "I can't believe you guys just argued over TV!" he whispered.

"That's nothing!" Leon spoke, walking ahead. "Ye should've heard her when she ranted against ma eatin' habits."

"Hey, look!" Rendel called, picking up something blue from the ground. "A candy! Anybody wanna eat?"

"No, don't even try!" Leon screamed, snatching the candy from Rendel.

"What!" Rendel spoke. "If you want it, you can have it!"

"It's not any candy, Rendel!" Leon said. "It's the Rare Candy!"

"Does that make a difference?" Rendel asked.

"Yep!" Leon said, putting the candy in his bag. "One of the prime ingredients of a Rare Candy is Arsenaline, a hormone which is responsible for a Pokémon's growth. So, when you feed this candy to a Pokémon, it'll recieve an instantaneous growth, which is commonly called 'levelling up'. Rare Candies were manufactured a few decades ago, but after the Drug Consumption Act was passed by the United Regions' Council of People and Pokémon Welfare, it was completely banned because it was much like doping your Pokémon with steroids to make it stronger and had a number of side effects on the Pokémon's growth. Moreover, if consumed by a human, it will cause numerous ailments, poisoning or even death!"

Leon looked at the blank faces staring at him. "What?"

"I-I didn't know that." Alicia stuttered.

"Benefits o' watchin' TV, chérie!" Leon replied.

The tunnel led them to another hall similar to the one they had came from. The only difference was that there was a giant pillar at the centre of the hall. The pillar appeared as if it was keeping the entire ceiling from falling down.

"The Hands of Distortion." Megan informed. "These pillars were made by the bones of dead as shrines to the Distortion Lord. There are three such pillars in this cave. According to tales, the Legendary's followers made offerings of their blood on each of these pillars to call him from the Distortion World."

"Gross!" Rendel gagged, walking ahead. "Your tales are getting scarier with each day, Meg! Well, I wanted to ask you. How do you know so much information about things? I remember you gifted a Fire Stone to Alicia when nobody else knew she had a Growlithe. Then you informed us everything about our opponents in the last task. And today, you had all these info about the mythologies. Don't judge me wrong, I'm just curious how you do that."

"I don't know myself." Megan spoke. "As far as I'm concerned, the Kimono Girls are also the keepers of the traditions of Pokémon World. Since I'm also one of them, I'd grown up with these lores. The trainers, well, I believe it's just by observation. As for the Fire Stone, uh, I estimated Alicia would have a Growlithe since Team Rocket said she was an agent of police. Don't they all have a Growlithe?"

"Gee, that's some brilliant observation!" Leon praised. "Ye could've had a great carrier as a detective!"

"Well, am I the only one who think we're back into the hall we began with?" Alicia suddenly asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"How's that possible?" Rendel asked. "We just came from that pillar room, right?"

"Well, as you can see, light's filtering in from that way." Alicia said. "So, that'd be the way out. If that's the case—" She turned her back towards the said direction and pointed at the tunnel they had came from, "—this was the way the other team went. And that—" She pointed at the tunnel on her left, "—was where we went. So, both the tunnels led to the same room."

"You mean we should've taken the other tunnel back there?" Rendel asked.

"Probably." Megan said, trying to remember something. "There was something about this cave. Yes! '...Past three hands to the sleeping before thirty is surpassed...' This is the way to the portal of the Distortion World!"

"What does that even mean?" Rendel asked, completely clueless.

"Which genius gave you your trainers' license, Rendel!" Alicia snapped. "It obviously mean that we have to go straight ahead past the three pillars without making a turn. Exactly!" She gave her best 'Eureka' look. "That's why this cave is called Turnback Cave. Make a turn and you'll return back to the start."

"What 'bout the '...thirty is surpassed...' part?" Leon asked.

"Don't know." Alicia said. "But at least we do have somewhere to start. Let's go!"

"Not so fast!" Jamie's voice came from the tunnel as the other team came out. "Breloom, Stun Spore!" The mushroom Pokémon jumped ahead and showered the hall with spores. Leon pulled out his Pokéball to fight, but the spores had gone inside his lungs. Before anyone could do anything, they felt their bodies go stiff and fell down on the ground.

"W-why'd ye d-do that?" Leon managed to speak, trying to fight the paralysis that surged through his muscles.

"You heard Frederick, right?" Rochelle reminded. "Everything is fair! Let's go find that orb now, team!"

"T-traitors!" Leon stuttered. "C-come back 'n f-fight!"

"We will be back for you." Tempera said. "Once we get that damn orb!" With this, the four trainers walked down the other tunnel.

Leon watched everyone struggle to get rid of the paralysis, but the more they tried, the more stiff their bodies became. In a matter of seconds, every muscle of their body had apparently turned to stone, since they were not even able to move their eyeballs.

They didn't know how many time passed. It felt like ages, lying helplessly in an inhabited cavern, unable to move even a limb. After a tense hour, they heard footsteps coming towards them. The person stopped near them and spoke in a strong masculine voice, "Umbreon, Heal Bell!"

A sweet chime was heard and soon the trainers felt their bodies at ease. Leon was the first to sit up and watch the new appearance who was standing beside a powerful-looking Umbreon. The guy was tall and buff, probably in his early twenties, with dark skin and shoulder-length brown hair tied in a ponytail. He wore a white sweatshirt with a long collar that covered the lower half of his face, so only his head and eyes were visible. Above the shirt was a long black-and-golden cloak that gave him a more regal look.

"Who are ya?" Leon asked.

"They call me Vega." the man replied. "But I guess I should be the one asking the questions. Who are you kids and what are you doing here?"

"I dun' answer te people wearin' freak cloaks in some freak cave!" Leon spoke. Vega gave him a death-glare and for a second it appeared like he was going to set his Umbreon on the Kelsh teen, but thankfully, Alicia interrupted.

"Thanks for saving us, first of all." she said, continuing to explain the circumstances that got them into the said situation. With each sentence, Vega's expressions grew more stern.

"Foolish men!" Vega gasped. "They don't know what trouble can befall on you! Those kids should be stopped. You kids stay here and secure the exit, stop them if they tried to escape. I'll go and find those kids you're talking about—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Leon interrupted. "They would've gone too far. Might be inside the Distortion Realm by now. We don't have enough time anyway!"

"Even less than what you think." Vega spoke. "Do you know what's the date today?"

"28th December, why?" Alicia asked, but Megan's face suddenly turned pale as if she had just said something horrible.

"Arceus created the world in seven days." Vega explained. "He was born on the eve of Creation, what you know as 25th of December. It was this day he created the thousand Mew, the 'hands' of Arceus. He created Dialga, the God of Time, on 26th and Palkia, the God of Space, on 27th..."

"Which means Giratina was born today?" Rendel asked, getting the clue.

"Yes!" Vega nodded. "And this is why 28th December is known as the Distortion Day, the infamous D-day. Today is his day, the day when his followers seek his blessings. And it's this one day, when he is able to roam the mortal world without restriction."

"But still, he won't hurt anyone, would he?" Leon asked.

"He won't!" Vega agreed. "Given that the mortals allow him to spend this one day peacefully. Now suppose I stole your best Pokédoll on your own birthday, how would you feel?"

"I dun' play wid dolls, but I totally got yer point."

"Exactly!" Vega added. "And Giratina is not called the Vengeful One for nothing! Some kids' mistake would unleash doom on the entirety of human race."

"Okay, we have no time at all!" Alicia agreed. "Any plan?"

"We'll follow them into the Distortion World and convince them to abandon the task!" Megan supplied.

"And what makes you think they'll listen?" Rendel asked.

"I've a better plan!" Leon spoke. "We attack! And Vega will secure the exit in case they try to escape. Now, let's leave!"

The next few hours were spent running through tunnels into a seemingly endless cave. Time and again, it appeared as if they were roaming around in circles, but they continued running and finally ended up in an exceptionally large cavern hall. The ceiling of this hall could have easily rivalled buildings like Devon Corps in height. At the centre of the hall stood a large structure, similar to ancient pyramids of Al-Ramel region. The only thing different was that this pyramid was made up of metal instead of sandstone.

"Platinum!" Megan spoke, touching the wall of the pyramid. "It's made up of Platinum. It's the shrine of the Vengeful One."

"So, we've made it this far." Alicia said. "But I can't see a portal anywhere."

"Something's inscribed here." Leon spoke, brushing the dust with his hands. "Some ancient symbols I can't read."

"It's the language of the Unown, Leon!" Megan spoke, watching what Leon wanted to show. "Some sort of message!" She started reading the glyphs.

"Erupting with darkness to smother light,

To replace your dreams with hopeless fright,

Turning brightest day to darkest night,

Swallowing joy till there's none in sight,

All good and bad, all wrong and right,

Kneel before the Distortion's might!"

The Platinum Pyramid started glowing with an ominous black-violet aura. Soon the hall started to expand as the ceiling tore off, revealing a swirl of black-violet abyss. The air turned into violent gales as the trainers felt a strong gravitational force pulling themselves into the abyss. In a matter of moments, the world was engulfed in swirling darkness.

When the trainers regained their senses, they were standing on an entirely different world. Chunks of land floated above the vacuum in impossible directions. Rivers of ink-black water paved their way towards the sky. Ominous plants that looked as if made up of decaying organic matter stood tall, but the most striking feature of this world was that there was no air!

"I can't breathe!" Leon screamed. "We're dead! We're dead!"

"Shut up, Leon, you're not dead!" Alicia punched Leon on the gut and the Kelsh boy fell on his knees. "See, you do get hurt!"

"That... wasn't necessary!" Leon gagged.

"There's no atmosphere in here." Alicia figured. "Like in space. No oxygen to breathe."

"But sound needs air to travel." Rendel objected. "How can we hear each other if there's no atmosphere?"

"Wow, Einstein!" Leon spoke, still grabbing his stomach. "But shouldn't you think the better question must be: how are we even alive?"

"This place is the freaking land of Distortion!" Alicia snapped. "It doesn't give a damn about the freaking laws of physics! Is that enough of explanation for you? Now if you're done, we have a time-sensitive task to do!"

"I dun' think so!" Leon pointed towards the direction from where the other team was walking towards them.

"Well, that was easy!" Rendel spoke.

"So, you managed to reach here." Rochelle spoke, noticing them. "Too late, though. We already found the orb." She showed the glistening golden orb before putting it inside her bag.

"Rochelle, I think you must keep it back." Megan spoke. "Giratina will not be—"

"Oh, please!" Rochelle rolled her eyes. "You think you can scare us with some shitty tales about some vengeful god?"

"Rochelle, please!" Alicia pleaded. "Displacing the orb could cause great havoc."

"I'm not listening!" Rochelle said. "We got the orb, we won already!" She called out the Abra Frederick had given them. "Teleport us out!"

Unexpected for her, the Abra just sat there, ignoring the orders. "Teleport us out, you damned little Pokémon!" Rochelle shouted, but again, nothing happened.

Megan let out a laugh. "You seriously think that you can teleport out of the Distortion World? Now, return the orb from where you have taken it."

"So that you can take it and win the task?" Rochelle asked. "No way!"

"You didn't leave me with a choice then." Megan spoke. "Froslass, Ice Beam!" The Snow Land Pokémon materialized out of thin air and blasted a beam of ice energy that froze half of Rochelle's body.

"Vulpix, Flamethrower!" Tempera commanded, tossing out her Pokéball. The Fox Pokémon emerged out of the light, blasting a jet of flames at Froslass. The Ice-type took massive damage and several parts of its body was burnt by the super-effective attack. Soon, everyone else started calling Pokémon and pitting them against one another. The battle started getting intense, the Pokémon from two sides clashing with each other, no one side holding anything back.

"We need to get out of here!" Rochelle said to her team. "Use a distraction."

"Alright!" Jamie said. "Machop, use Focus Punch on Alicia!" Before anyone could react, the Fighting-type jumped and landed a hit on Alicia's stomach, throwing her off her feet. The Unovan girl fell on the ground and fainted.

For a second, everyone was silent with shock. "You!" Leon shouted and clicked his Pokéball. Excalibur materialized out in his hands, the Pokémon's sash wound tightly around his arm. He unsheathed Excalibur's blade and without a second thought, charged at Jamie. With a clean swipe of Excalibur's blade, he made a nice gash on the trainer's chest. Dark red blood stained the grounds of the Distortion World as Jamie fell back due to the assault.

"Leon, no!" Rendel screamed just in time to prevent Leon from running Excalibur's blade through Jamie's body. Leon suddenly went numb, as if suddenly awaken from a sleep. He watched in horror from the bleeding gash on Jamie's chest to the bloodstained blade of Excalibur in his hands. Rendel pulled him away from Jamie, who kept wincing in pain on the ground.

"We'll avenge this!" Tempera spat. "Vulpix, Smokescreen!" The Pokémon breathed out dense black smoke. Leon heard footsteps towards the exit, but he was too involved into something else to care. His mind was blank, trying to figure out what had just happened. As the smoke cleared, he saw Alicia's limp body lying on the ground and ran to her kneeling by her side.

"She's just unconscious." Megan spoke, consoling Leon. "The assault wasn't critical fortunately, but there are some internal injuries. We need to find a doctor."

"Bad news!" Rendel informed, inspecting the place from where they had come. "The other team had closed the portal probably. We're sealed in here. Megan, is there another way out?"

"I-I don't know." Megan said. "The only known way was through Turnback Cave."

"Damn!" Rendel said, turning to Leon. "What the hell have you done? Jamie would probably file a lawsuit against you, and they even have the Griseous Orb—"

"They don't!" Leon said quietly.

"What?" Megan and Rendel asked in unison.

"Frogadier!" Leon called. The frog Pokémon walked towards them with the golden chunk in his hands. "I had him steal the orb while we were fightin'."

"But we're still trapped in here!" Rendel argued.

"May I help?" a voice came from a distance as a man in spiked blue hair and astronaut suit walked towards them.

—

 **Author's notes: Long and rather uninteresting chapter, but since the sole purpose of writing this was exploring the myths of creation and Giratina (that would be playing a great part in the future), I think it's okay.**

 **And once again, it's an OC fic, so any OC that you would like to submit for minor recurring characters will be accepted. Please read and review.**


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